Debates of 28 Nov 2018

MR SPEAKER
PRAYERS 11:12 a.m.
VOTES AND PROCEEDINGS AND THE OFFICIAL REPORT 11:12 a.m.
Mr Speaker 11:12 a.m.
Hon Members, correction of Votes and Proceedings and the Official Report.
Votes and Proceedings dated Tuesday, 27th November, 2018.
Page 1… 8 --
Mr Ras Mubarak 11:12 a.m.
Mr Speaker, yesterday, I was in the Chamber and even contributed to the debate but my name has been captured as absent on page 8.
Mr Speaker 11:12 a.m.
Page 9 … 12
Hon Members, the Votes and Proceedings of Tuesdays, 27th November, 2018, as amended be hereby admitted as the true record of proceedings.
Hon Members, Official Report of 14th November, 2018.

Item listed as number 3, Questions. Question numbered 462 stands in the name of the Hon Member for Bole/Bamboi.
Mr Matthew Nyimdam 11:12 a.m.
Mr Speaker, I am sorry to say that --
Mr Speaker 11:12 a.m.
Hon Member, may I save you from some trouble. Kindly call the Hon Minister who we all saw this morning to proceed to this Honourable House.
You may be seated.
Item listed 5, at the Commencement of Public Business, Presentation of Papers.
Item numbered 5(a), Minister for Local Government and Rural Development?
Alhaji Mohammed-Mubarak Muntaka 11:12 a.m.
Mr Speaker, while we are struggling to get the Minister to appear, I just want to draw your attention to a Paper that was laid on the 15th of November. I am doing this because this is the time that we are laying Papers.
Mr Speaker, till now, we do not have copies. There is no other document but the Annual Report on the Utilisation of the Petroleum Revenue, which was laid together with the Budget Statement.
Mr Speaker, it is supposed to inform the Budget Statement. This is because 70 per cent of that is supposed to come as Annual Budget Funding Amount (ABFA).
Mr Speaker, it was laid on the 15th of November and till now, we do not have copies. The debate on the Budget Statement is going on and very soon, the estimates are going to be in and we need to have that document. That was why it was laid together with the Budget Statement.
Mr Speaker, even the Budget Statement, which took three hours to be read is here but that detail of how 70 per
cent of the revenue would be used for the Budget Statement is not here.
Now we are going to lay other Papers. I just want to find out from my Hon Colleagues from the Majority if we have sufficient copies so that we just do not lay it but we would not have copies.
Thank you, Mr Speaker.
Mr Speaker 11:12 a.m.
Hon Minority Chief Whip, I am advised by the Clerk that the documents are available as of now in the mails room. So let someone check and we could proceed further on that.
Alhaji Muntaka 11:12 a.m.
Thank you very much, Mr Speaker.
Mr Speaker, similarly, copies of the Special Prosecutor's Regulation that was also laid is also not here, and as we all know, the days are counting.
I would want to plead with the Clerks- at-the-Table and for that matter the Clerk that once those documents are brought in , because they are supposed to support the work that we do, I believe that the directive should be that it should be immediately distributed in order to avoid sending them to an office to be kept. This is because it is supposed to be for distribution.
Mr Speaker 11:12 a.m.
That is very important. I trust the Clerk and the Table Office would take note of this development.
We would stand the item numbered 5(a) down. Item numbered 5(b).
Hon Minister for Finance, (i)?
PAPERS 11:35 a.m.
Mr Speaker 11:35 a.m.
Hon Members, we would move on to the item numbered 5(b)(ii).
By the Deputy Minister for Finance (Mr Kwaku Agyeman Kwarteng) (on behalf of) the Minister for Finance.
(ii) Loan Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Ghana and the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (BADEA) for an amount of thirteen million, five hundred thousand United States dollars (US$13,500,000.00) to finance the support to Basic Education Project in five (5) regions in Ghana.
Referred to the Finance Committee.
Mr Speaker 11:35 a.m.
Hon Members, we would move on to item number 5 (c).
rose
Mr Speaker 11:35 a.m.
Yes, Hon Member?
Mr Nyindam 11:35 a.m.
Mr Speaker, we could take Paper 5 (a) because the Hon Minister for Local Government and Rural Development is here.
Mr Speaker 11:35 a.m.
Hon Member, please, is the Paper ready?
Mr Nyindam 11:35 a.m.
Yes, Mr Speaker, the Paper is ready, and the Hon Minister is here to lay the Paper.
Mr Speaker 11:35 a.m.
Hon Member, is the Paper ready?
Mr Nyindam 11:35 a.m.
Mr Speaker, it is just a presentation, so the Hon Minister would lay it.

Mr Speaker, the Paper is ready.
Mr Speaker 11:35 a.m.
And can it be laid?

Hon Members, the instruments could be laid and printed, so that we would proceed. We have the Hon Minister for Local Government and Rural Development here.

By the Hon Minister for Local Government and Rural Development.

(i) Local Government (Ablekuma Central Municipal Assembly) (Establishment) Instrument,

2018.

Referred to the Committee on Subsidiary Legislation.
Mr Speaker 11:35 a.m.
Hon Members, we would move on to Paper 5a (ii)
By the Hon Minister for Local Government and Rural Development
(ii) Local Government (Accra Metropolitan Assembly) (Establishment) Instrument,
2018.
Referred to the Committee on Subsidiary Legislation.
Mr Speaker 11:35 a.m.
Hon Members, we would move on to take Paper 5d (i), by the Hon Chairman of the Finance Committee. Is he present?
Hon Members, we would take item 5d (i), but if the Hon Chairman of the Finance Committee is not here then is there another person to lay it on his behalf?
Mr Nyindam 11:35 a.m.
Mr Speaker, the Hon Chairman of the Committee is not here.
Mr Speaker 11:35 a.m.
Yes, but is the Paper ready, so that some other Hon Member presents it for us to proceed?
Mr Nyindam 11:35 a.m.
Mr Speaker, I am not sure that the Paper is ready. We may then move on to item numbered 6 -- Motion.
Mr Speaker 11:35 a.m.
Are we not in the position to carry on with any of them - Paper i, ii or iv?
Mr Nyindam 11:35 a.m.
Yes, Mr Speaker.
Mr Speaker 11:35 a.m.
Hon Members, we are waiting for the Hon Chairman of the Finance Committee.
So Hon Majority Chief Whip, what do we do now? Are the Hon Ministers ready?
Mr Nyindam 11:35 a.m.
Mr Speaker, we would move on to the item numbered 6 -- Motions.
Mr Speaker 11:35 a.m.
No, I would rather see whether there is something else to do. Is the Hon Minister for Communications on the way?
Mr Nyindam 11:35 a.m.
Mr Speaker, I have been trying to get to her, but unfortunately, we are not getting through to her.
Mr Speaker 11:35 a.m.
Well, then we would have that item stood down, but definitely, we would have to take it. Those of us who were at the One Week celebration of our late Hon Member this morning saw the Hon Minister, if I am not mistaken, so kindly get through to her.
Yes, Hon Minority Leader, any guidance?
Mr Haruna Iddrisu 11:35 a.m.
Mr Speaker, as you rightly pointed out, we can do the Questions later on, as the Hon Minister gets in. She joined you together with the President at the one week celebration of our late Hon Colleague, the Hon Emmanuel Agyarko.
So, if there is no objection, we can move on to proceed with Motion numbered 6 as directed, to continue the debate on the Financial Policy of Government for the year ending 31st December, 2019. We expect that we should be concluding tomorrow, because today would be the last day for Hon Members.
Mr Speaker, thank you.
Mr Speaker 11:35 a.m.
Thank you very much, Hon Minority Leader, except that Hon Leaders, I have not got your list.
Mr Nyindam 11:35 a.m.
Mr Speaker, with your leave, the Hon Chairman of the Finance Committee just walked in and has indicated that he is in the position to lay some of the Papers. Also, the Hon Chairman of Trade, Industry and Tourism is also around to lay Paper 5(c).
Mr Speaker 11:45 a.m.
Hon Member, you are speaking without permission.
In fact, the Hon Chairman of the Committee should be the first person to approach everything with humility, as he just arrived in the House. In fact, we are bending backwards to go back and deal with his item.
Hon Members, we would then move on to Papers: 5 (d) (i) to 5 (d) (xii), by the Hon Chairman of the Finance Committee?
PAPERS 11:45 a.m.
Mr Speaker 11:45 a.m.
Item numbered 5 (d) (xiv)?
(xiv) Report of the Finance Committee on the Second Addendum Supplemental to the Accounts Agreements dated 13th June, 2012 (as amended by an addendum dated 21st June 2013) between the Republic of Ghana and China Development Bank
(CDB).
Mr Speaker 11:45 a.m.
Shall we proceed to item numbered 6, Motion? [Pause]
Hon First Deputy Majority Whip, could you please give me a fresh page and put up your list properly, so that I would get a true direction?
Mr Nyindam 11:45 a.m.
Mr Speaker, we have not laid item numbered 5 (c) yet.
Mr Speaker 11:45 a.m.
In the meantime, kindly make your list presentable to me.

Item numbered 5 (c), Hon Chairman of the Committee?

By the Chairman of the Committee --

Report of the Committee on Trade, Industry and Tourism on the Kintampo Waterfall Disaster.
Mr Speaker 11:45 a.m.
Now, we would proceed with the debate on the Budget Statement.
Yes, Hon Dominic Ayine?
MOTIONS 11:55 a.m.
  • [Resumption of Debate from 27/11/ 2018]
    • Mr Speaker 11:55 a.m.
    Hon Member, please, give me a moment.
    Hon Minority Leader, are we debating generally at this stage?
    Mr Haruna Iddrisu 11:55 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, today would be the last day for Hon Members to contribute so that tomorrow, Leadership could wind up. It has been agreed that we allow for general debate especially, subject matter areas that were not covered previously.
    Mr Speaker 11:55 a.m.
    Thank you very much, Hon Minority Leader -- so that we are clear and well directed. Every Hon Member has 10 minutes.
    Hon Member, you may continue.
    Dr Ayine 11:55 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, I would want to raise a critical issue of accountability that arose in the course of the presentation of the Budget Statement.
    Dr Ayine 11:55 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, we know that the Budget
    Statement is a mechanism of accoun- tability. When the Hon Minister for Finance appears before this House, he accounts to the House how he utilised the funds that were approved for the immediate preceding financial year.
    He also asks and gives explanation for the House to approve the policies and estimates for a particular financial year.
    Mr Speaker, accountability requires probity, which is the moral rectitude or integrity of the person who is doing the accounting and therefore, requires clarity and specificity on his part. These are three critical elements of accountability.
    Mr Speaker, in this year's Budget Statement which was delivered by the Hon Minister for Finance, he mentioned in paragraph 153 and with your permission, I beg to quote:
    “The State is facilitating the process by providing the land, the secretariat and seed money for the preparatory phase of the construction of the National Cathedral''.
    Mr Speaker, I have reviewed the Budget Statement itself and there is no statement whatsoever which relates to the National Cathedral. In other words, there has been no request for any estimates to be approved by this House for its construction.
    Mr Speaker, a number of critical questions may be asked at this point in time because the Hon Minister for Finance mentioned it but it is not contained in the Budget Statement. I would want to ask four critical questions about this budget Statement.
    Mr Speaker, the first one is, what is the value of the land to be provided by the State? I am aware that 21 town houses that were built to house our judges would be demolished for purposes of the construction of the National Cathedral.
    Mr Speaker, another critical question is, what is the cost of running the secretariat for the entire duration of the construction of the National Cathedral? That has neither been stated in the statement of the Hon Minister for Finance before this House nor in the Budget Statement.
    How much is the seed money to be provided by the State and is it stated as a lined item in this year's Budget Statement? There is no lined item with respect to the construction of the National Cathedral.
    Mr Speaker, so this is a critical issue of accountability because the Hon Minister for Finance cannot purport on our behalf to make moneys available for the construction of the National Cathedral without the approval of Parliament.
    That would be against the grain of article 174 of the Constitution of the Republic of Ghana. If any money is allocated as seed money for the construction of the National Cathedral, that would be unconstitutional.
    Mr Speaker, I have researched on this matter and the “Financial Times of London'' has reported that the total cost of construction of the National Cathedral would be US$100 million. I have the report, and I would make it available to the Table Office. The details of the construction have been given and the fact is that the estimated cost is US$100 million.
    Mr Speaker, I would want to ask on a serious note, what in God's name would we do with a US$100 million Cathedral
    when we cannot afford to feed the hungry ones among us?What in God's name would we do with a US$100 million Cathedral when we cannot cloth the naked ones among us or provide shelter to the homeless?

    Mr Speaker, these are very important questions which come back to the issue of accountability that I raised earlier.

    Mr Speaker, my conclusion on this issue is that, the construction of the National Cathedral is not a priority, but if the Hon Minister for Finance still wants to make it a priority and make an allocation for it, he should come to this House to account for what he would use the money for.

    Mr Speaker, with regard to the Attorney-General's Department, when I looked at the policy issues raised, I was very happy that the current Hon Attorney- General and Minister for Justice had continued the tradition that we established in that Department before we

    left office in 2016 where there was zero tolerance for judgment debts.

    The policy was laid down very clearly by the Hon Former Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Hon Marietta Brew Appiah Oppong, and in this year's Budget Statement, the Department, I must commend them, took action to forestall judgment debts of over GH¢12 million to the State. I believe that is commendable.

    Mr Speaker, however, in the Budget Statement, there is a very defocus on the part of the Hon Attorney-General and Minister for Justice in the adoption of a prosecutorial policy that focuses on convictions.

    It is stated in the Budget Statement that they would aim at a conviction rate of between 75 per cent and 80 per cent of all crimes that are prosecuted by the Hon Attorney-General and Minister for Justice.

    Mr Speaker, prosecution should not be about conviction. It should be about doing justice in the matter and in any case.
    Mr Speaker 11:55 a.m.
    Hon Member, your views about totalitarian — You have used the word “totalitarian'' and you have expressed the need for justice. The Hon Attorney-General and Minister for Justice does not have to present every possible case to court but she is entitled to estimate that she would so scrutinise her cases that 80 per cent of what is ultimately sent would result in conviction. So what can be wrong with that for this to generate totalitarian and so on? Please, withdraw it.
    Dr Ayine 11:55 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, with all due respect, I am sure you did not hear what I said well. I did not use the word
    Mr Speaker 12:05 p.m.
    Hon Member, to call it prosecutorial is itself derogatory. This is because you are assuming that whatever is sent, there must be, maybe, 50 per cent conviction.
    But by the policy of an Attorney- General, you can send cases which you are sure will attract conviction. That is just the speculation or the calculation of the person. And so do not add any adjectives in that direction.
    It is not every case that comes from the Office of the Attorney-General that goes to court, and you know it.
    Dr Ayine 12:05 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I am aware that in terms of article 88 of the Constitution, the Attorney-General has the discre- tionary power to prosecute. In terms of article 88 of the Constitution, you are right that the Attorney-General can decide which cases to prosecute and which not to prosecute. It is also true that the Attorney-General can estimate in percentage terms, those cases that she is likely to win or lose.
    In every discussions that we had in that Department, we always estimated the strength of our case in going to court, and I am sure the current Deputy Attorney- General, Hon Joseph Dindiok Kpemka would testify to that. That is a Departmental policy.
    Mr Speaker, but in focusing on the percentages, we should not lose sight of the fact that prosecution is about doing justice in the matter. It is about upholding the fair trial rights of the criminal under article 19 of our Constitution.
    Mr Speaker 12:05 p.m.
    Hon Member, you have gone round and come to accept what I said. If so, then say it properly and let us move on. This is because those who are not lawyers may not follow this. Let us do it in a way that shows that we are thinking orderly. So please put it clearly and let us go on.
    I do not want you to create the false impression that the Attorney-General is calculating towards convicting some 85 per cent of people who appear; make that clear.
    Dr Ayine 12:05 p.m.
    Very well.
    Mr Speaker, I am guided by your interjections. But I am sure, giving the time that you have taken to —
    Mr Speaker 12:05 p.m.
    I know you understand.
    Dr Ayine 12:05 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, the other thing that I would want to highlight in respect of the Ministry of Justice and Attorney- General is —
    Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu — on a point of order.
    Mr Speaker, you are responsible for ensuring order in the House, and indeed, in our debates. Whenever you intervene, you do so to offer some guidelines. My Hon Colleague says that it is an interjection by the Speaker.
    Mr Speaker, I know he knows that that language is untenable in the circumstance. So, I would want you to further guide him that he withdraws the words about the Speaker interjecting.
    Dr Ayine 12:05 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I would withdraw the word “interjections” and substitute it with “intervention”.
    Mr Speaker, when we look at the budget allocation for the Office of the Special Prosecutor, I know there is a strong commitment as a matter of policy to fight corruption. The Office of the Special Prosecutor has been allocated a whooping amount of GH¢180 million.
    The Attorney-General and Minister for Justice who has the constitutional right and power to prosecute all crimes, including those of corruption is allocated GH¢104 million.
    Mr Speaker, though we have not come to the estimates, I would want to underscore the point that this includes Personnel Emoluments, Compensation, and Goods and Services which is only about GH¢4 million.
    This disparate allocation of resources is going to affect the work of the Attorney- General and Minister for Justice.
    Mr Speaker, I know that the commitment to fight corruption is what animates the allocation to the Special Prosecutor. But we need to take account of the fact that this can affect the way the Attorney-General and Minister for Justice operates and the way she prosecutes all crimes including that of corruption.
    Mr Speaker, I would also want to highlight one aspect that I believe the Rt Hon Speaker and the Hon Majority Leader would be interested in, and that is Parliament.
    Mr Speaker, if we look at article 179 of the Constitution, in terms of the budget of Parliament, and section 15 of the Parliamentary Service Act — When the estimates, especially those relating to the administrative and operational expenses of Parliament are laid in this House, they are laid at the request of the President of the Republic.
    Mr Speaker, in last year's budget, Parliament was allocated GH¢ 406,210,192.00. This year, Parliament's allocation is GH¢ 268,267,507.00. In other words, there has been a drastic 34 per cent reduction in the budget for Parliament and the Parliamentary Service as a whole. I believe that there is something drastically wrong with this approach.
    This is because, once the ceiling was agreed upon for the preceding year, I think that this drastic reduction does not augur well for good governance. The reason is simply because, if leadership of Parliament have agreed to this, then it means that they have agreed that it would not affect our expenses going forward.
    Mr Speaker, but we know that ours is the first quote on the Consolidated Fund. I do not know whether the Hon Majority Leader disagrees with me, but it is the first quote on the Consolidated Fund. And so I think that this drastic 34 per cent reduction without an explanation — Going back to the issue of accountability— Why should that be the case?
    Bonsu — rose
    Mr Speaker 12:05 p.m.
    Hon Member, if it is a point of correction you may make it.
    Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 12:05 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, it is a point of correction.
    Mr Speaker, first of all, by our own arrangements, the President may not review downwards the request from Parliament. I guess the starting point from him should have been what he knows
    Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 12:05 p.m.


    Mr Speaker, people who make assertions should have the patience to listen when others want to respond, and not make wild conjectures, especially, very senior ones like Hon Yieleh Chireh.

    Mr Speaker, there is a request from Parliament and the response is that to request from Parliament. I guess I even had some discussion with my Hon Colleague regarding how come it has come down. This is because the allocation for the construction of this facility last year was set aside, and it was in respect of about GH¢ 120 million thereabout.

    And it is no longer being taken care of in this budget. That one has been ring- fenced for that project and I told him about that. And so to bring it back here really causes a bit of confusion.

    Mr Speaker, but as I assured him, going forward, there are a couple of things that we still need to consolidate and bring back to the front burner.
    Mr Joseph Dindiok Kpemka (NPP-- Tempane) 12:15 p.m.
    I thank you, Mr Speaker, for the opportunity to contribute to the Budget Statement and Economic Policy of the Government of Ghana for the 2019 Financial Year.
    Mr Speaker, it is not in dispute that for any nation, especially one such as ours, to make progress, certain pillars need to be set right. It is not in dispute, that for
    our economic and social progress and all facets of life to go smoothly, we would need to get certain things right, particularly, governance.
    When there is a systemic failure and malfunctioning of governance institutions and they are unable to achieve their desired results as mandated by law, all the lofty ideals we may aspire for ourselves would become a thing of the past and they would not yield the desired results.
    Mr Speaker, in contributing to the said debate, let me seek your kind permission to make two quotations; one, by Ben Cardin, a famous US Congressman on governance. He said;
    “Since my election to Congress, I have always been interested in human rights. I really do believe that is America's strength. Yes, we have a strong military. Yes, we have a strong economy but what really makes America the unique nation it is, is that we speak up against human rights and anti-corruption and good governance and democratic institutions functions. That is what America is known for. That is what inspires people around the world with us, leadership.”
    Again, Mr Speaker, the Prime Minister of India, Mr Narendra Modi said something and I would like to quote with your kind permission:
    “For achieving good governance, political will is necessary. Good governance is a political process though the role of civil society is critical, without political will and political process, sustainable and good governance can never be achieved.”
    Mr Speaker, it is therefore imperative, that any policy by any government in a country such as ours must be one focused
    on strengthening our institutions, deepening our governance, and focused on ensuring that we achieved that status of human rights that we aspire for ourselves in line with our human rights provisions and the directive principles of State policy in our Constitution.
    Accordingly, Mr Speaker, from pages 178-190, the Hon Minister for Finance presented to this august House adumbrate clearly the policy directive of this Government as far as governance is concerned.
    It looks at the Office of the Attorney- General and that of the Special Prosecutor as well as the Judiciary, and in the same veins, puts out real policy directives that are capable of leading us to that desired destination.
    Mr Speaker, my Hon Colleague on the other Side, Hon Ayine did state, for example, the effort made by the Attorney- General's Office in respect of ensuring that GH¢12 million is saved for this nation in terms of civil litigation for the year ended.
    Mr Speaker, it is also clear that in the course of our last Sitting, we passed the Legal Aid Commission Act and laid before this House an L.I. to operationalise the office of the Special Prosecutor.
    Mr Speaker, again, it is very obvious from what my Hon Colleague said, that he did acknowledge the effort to fight corruption specifically by the establish- ment of the Office of the Special Prosecutor. Let me emphasise that across the globe and even in noted democracies such as the USA, they have no permanent Office of the Special Prosecutor.
    They have the ad hoc system where as and when a particular issue arises, they
    set up that commission to look at that issue and after that it ends. In our case, we have gone a step further to establish that Office in order to deepen our democratic dispensation.
    Again, Mr Speaker, I heard the concern he raised about the issue of money allocated to the Office of the Special Prosecutor and the Office of the Attorney- General.
    Yes, it is good that he advocates for the Office of the Attorney-General; it is good that he asks for more resources for us, but it should not be forgotten that the Office of the Special Prosecutor is at a level where we are still establishing the various structures. Therefore their needs are not the same as that of the Attorney- General's Office.
    For example, the Hon Member is aware that infrastructure to house the Office of the Special Prosecutor is not adequate and there is the need to get adequate infrastructure for that Office. They would be equipped; there would be recruitment and again, staff strength among others for the various divisions, including investigative, prosecutorial and asset recovery.
    All these have not been established. Therefore it is anticipated that this amount allotted to that Office would be able to tackle to the highest form the various problems such as infrastructure, human resource and equipment for the set up and operationalisation of the Office.
    Mr Speaker, you would recall that in the not too distant past, that Office has been in the news for various reasons and public discussions in respect of the fact that the Office has not been fully set up and fully functional as a result of which the fight against corruption could not be taken to another level.
    Mr Joseph Dindiok Kpemka (NPP-- Tempane) 12:25 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, it is also very well stated
    that the Office has received a number of complaints and it is investigating these matters. This of course would put to rest speculations in certain quarters that the Office was dead on arrival and that it was not been resourced.
    Indeed, the provision made in Appendix 4a is adequate enough to resource the Office to take into consideration capital expenditure, human resource development and administration.
    Mr Speaker, it is very clear that in our democratic dispensation, if the Judiciary does not function properly, human rights which is the bane of our Constitution and is the lofty ideal that we have set to achieve for ourselves would not also be guaranteed.
    In the light of this, and to facilitate litigation in its fastest form in the court process and procedure, the case tracking system has been put in place and fast- tracked to ensure that litigation is not unduly delayed and prolonged.
    So long as we would want to deepen our democracy, this would ensure that our Judiciary functions effectively as captured in article 125 131 of our Constitution. This would strengthen the Judiciary so that anytime one's rights are threatened in any way or anything of ours that is abused in one way or the other, we could run there to seek expeditious justice.
    Mr Speaker, it is in the light of this that the case tracking system, for example, has been introduced and it is being vigorously pursued. Again, the courts are trying to go paperless and it is at the experimenting stage. This would ensure that documents
    are filed expeditiously for trials to ensure no delay in the various courts. This, again, is an achievement by this particular Government that we need to applaud.
    Mr Speaker, if we look at the Office of the Attorney-General, there has always been a misconception by certain people that the duty of the Office of the Attorney- General is just to prosecute and that ends the matter. So, if suspects or accused persons are not tried in court, it appears that the office of the Attorney-General is not functioning.
    But clearly, from what has been adumbrated in this particular Budget Statement and Economic Policy of Government, particularly from pages 178, 179 and 180, it is clear that the Office does a lot more work than merely prosecution.

    Even though the Office prosecutes quite a number of cases, we have set for ourselves an ambitious target -- In fact, I have heard a number of people complain that we cannot set up targets of convictions et cetera.

    The problem is that one does not go to court with a desire to lose. If one goes to court knowing very well that one would lose, then that is not prosecution; that is persecution.

    We form an opinion that by the facts gathered and by the documentation available, when we present same to court, the chance of success is about 83 per cent in a number of cases. That is our opinion on those matters. Otherwise, if all it means is that we have sent it, ultimately, judgement is to be normally delivered in respect of the decision of the court.

    We believe that by the evidence and the documentation gathered and presented to the court, the chance that

    we would secure convictions is about 83 per cent. That is our opinion, and we are entitled to same as stated in the budget.

    We would ensure that due process is followed to execute same for posterity to judge. I have no doubt that 10 years or 20 years from now, Ghanaians would look back and all those who had some elements of scepticism would have a change of mind that it had indeed served its purpose; there is no dispute about that.

    Mr Speaker, in concluding on this matter, our dear nation Ghana needs to move on. As a democratic nation, we could only move on if we deepen governance through institutions such as the Offices of the Attorney-General and the Special Prosecutor --
    Mr Speaker 12:25 p.m.
    Finally --
    Mr Kpemka 12:25 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, finally, I call on both Sides of the House to, with a unanimous voice, support the Budget Statement and Economic Policy of the Government for the year 2019 to take Ghana to the promised land.
    Mr Speaker 12:25 p.m.
    Hon Della Sowah, you have 10 minutes.
    Ms Della Sowah (NDC -- Kpando) 12:25 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I thank you very much for the opportunity to contribute to the debate on the Budget Statement and Economic Policy for the year 2019.
    Mr Speaker, I have heard the several names given to the Budget Statement, but the one I find most intriguing because it adds to my limited Twi vocabulary is “Nkontompo Budget”. [Interruption.] It was explained to me in the Ewe language to mean “Ahatso alakpa Budget”. There are some reasons for that.
    Mr Speaker, before I state some of them, I would want to point out an observation that I made in the contradictory use of the religious language in paragraph 7 of the Budget Statement, and I beg to read:
    “…with genuine humility and gratitude to a great God.”
    Mr Speaker, that is very fine; but then soon after in paragraph 9, I read a word that the great God detests, which is “unforgiving”. The casual usage of godly or religious language is rather sad. We all know that unforgiveness hinders our prayers and blocks our open heavens. That is why, perhaps, the heavens under Ghana today is closed.
    Mr Speaker, people are suffering. In spite of the good names and the themes we give to the various programmes and Budget Statements, the truth of the matter is that many people are out of work, they cannot put food on their tables, they are suffering, and there are massive layoffs. We should be careful in using idle words as the Bible cautions.
    I would like to comment on some issues of great concern to me as it concerns underprivileged women and children. The first issue is rural electrification. It appears
    Ms Della Sowah (NDC -- Kpando) 12:25 p.m.


    that there is a stall in the expansion of the Rural Electrification Programme. Under the Government of President Mahama and the New Democratic Congress (NDC), electrification in Ghana was taken from 54 per cent to over 83 per cent.

    Mr Speaker, under the Government of President Akufo-Addo, the expansion has only been one per cent in two years. When one is in school and is marked one per cent by a teacher, “poor performance” or “go back home for rehabilitation” would be written.

    Clearly, with the one per cent performance by the Government of President Akufo-Addo, they need to go back home for rehabilitation. We call on the voters of this country to send them home for that purpose.

    Mr Speaker, in the year 2017, they promised to connect over 2,000 communities to the electricity grid, but they only did an embarrassing 289. In the year 2018, they promised nearly 1,800 communities, but they only did 122.

    Women in the rural areas are suffering. They have to walk miles to mill their corn to cook akple and tuo zaafi. Women in my communities, Debidebi -- Avega, are suffering. All they ask for, is to be connected to the electricity grid.

    Mr Speaker, we also ask to be part of the Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) programme the Government is rolling out. A lot of them -- [raises up a piece of firewood] -- use this to cook their food. [Interruption.] In this modern age, they use teak wood. I hear one teak necklace in China costs US$6,000.00. My people burn it because they have no other source -- [Interruption.]

    Maj Derek Oduro (retd) -- rose --
    Mr Speaker 12:25 p.m.
    Order!
    Hon Member --

    Thank you, Mr Speaker.
    Ms Sowah 12:25 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I described it; it is teak wood. It is used to make necklaces in China, and it cost US$6,000.00 per necklace. My people use it for firewood because they are not connected to the electricity grid. Mr Speaker, all they ask for -- their only hope and aspiration is for connection to the grid. That is all they ask for.
    Under President Mahama, he promised 1,500 communities. In one year, he connected 1,212 communities. [Hear! Hear!] My people were hopeful that at that rate, they would also be connected. Unfortunately --
    rose
    Mr Speaker 12:35 p.m.
    Hon Majority Leader?
    Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 12:35 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, indeed, teak is a highly valued wood. But unfortunately people seem to think that instead of clearing the layers and growth beneath those teak plantations, they would rather set them on fire every year.
    Mr Speaker, when that is done for, at least, two years it loses its value and no saw-mill would buy it. That is what people do and they realize at the end of the day that it is of no value. So, it is not as if people deliberately use it for firewood, but it because they are subjected to wild bushfires and by that it loses its commercial values.
    Mr Speaker, that is what it is.
    Mrs Sowah 12:35 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I would invite the Hon Majority Leader to my constituency and he would see whether they are using under growth wood or they are using proper teak wood.
    Mr Speaker, in continuation, I read in the Budget Statement that there would be a digitised Ghana. But the people in Debidebi-Avega, Bayegborme and many other communities are so left behind and this is how they learn what a computer is. [Shows a photograph] Mr Speaker, in this day and age they learn what a computer is by drawing parts of it on a blackboard. They have been left out of the computer age completely.
    Mr Speaker 12:35 p.m.
    Order!
    Mrs Sowah 12:35 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, the Budget Statement also talks about lighting of the regional capitals. This Government is completely out of touch with the reality on the ground. The dark areas are not in the regional capitals only.
    Recently, in my constituency, there were series of armed robbery attacks along the poorly lit areas between Kpando and Nkornya. If not for the 24-hour vigilance of all the community leaders and the Ghana Police Service, it would have been something else.
    Mr Speaker, talking about street lighting, I believe that the Government should look at the communities which are poor and poorly lit and extend those programmes there in the interest of peace, security and safety otherwise we shall remain vulnerable.
    Especially the women and children because the women wake up at dawn to put their wares together and go to the market, they face armed robbers on the way. This lighting programme should not be in only regional capitals, but they should be extended to every nook and cranny of the country.
    Mr Speaker, in conclusion, I learnt a new word “dumkraa” and “dumsor”. I was happy the Hon Minister for Energy, Mr Peter Amewu, admitted that dumsor is back. [Hear! Hear!] Hitherto, we had been fighting, but he has admitted now that we are in dumsor.
    Mr Speaker, with these few words --
    Mr Speaker 12:35 p.m.
    Hon Member, where and how did the Hon Minister say that dumsor is back?
    Mrs Sowah 12:35 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, he held a press conference.
    rose
    Mr Speaker 12:35 p.m.
    Hon Member?
    Mr Speaker 12:35 p.m.
    Hon Member, I hope you heard the explanation.
    Mrs Sowah 12:35 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, the misleading is coming from him. He should read the script of the Hon Minister.
    Mr Speaker 12:35 p.m.
    Hon Member, you have said something that has been contradicted by a person who was present and so I would want you to withdraw unless you have something --
    Our rules are very clear that you either substantiate or withdraw.

    A Hon Member: She would not withdraw. It is a fact.
    Mr Speaker 12:35 p.m.
    Hon Member, please you would remain silent. Do not let me mention your name. “It is a fact” may be different from “someone said”. If you want to say that it is a fact then keep that fact to yourself, but do not say that the Hon Minister has said that. This is a very different matter. Do not answer the question by shouting that it is a fact.
    Mrs Sowah 12:35 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I would take your guidance and withdraw, but the reality of the matter is that power outages are rampant --
    Mr Speaker 12:35 p.m.
    Thank you very much.
    Once it has been withdrawn I would move to Dr Appiah-Kubi.
    Dr Kojo Appiah-Kubi (NPP -- Atwima Kwanwoma) 12:35 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I thank you for the opportunity to contribute to the debate on the Budget Statement and Economic Policy for 2019 which was ably delivered by the Hon Minister responsible for Finance on the 15th of November, 2018.
    Mr Speaker, in 2016 the NPP made a promise to the people of Ghana that it would promote women empowerment and children's rights and remain committed to gender equality, poverty eradication and to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) assiduously.
    As the Hon Minister emphasised, this requires the building and strengthening of our social sector by creating and expanding opportunities to ensure that no one is left behind. Mr Speaker, this is exactly what the Government under President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo- Addo is doing.
    Mr Speaker, I beg to quote the key focus area of the social policy of this Government as defined on page 162 of the Budget Statement:
    “The key focus areas are: education and training; health and health services; food and nutrition security; population management and migration for development; poverty and inequality; water and environmental sanitation; child protection and family welfare; support for the aged; gender equality, empowerment of women and girls; sports and recreation; youth development; social pro-
    tection; disability and develop- ment; and employment and decent work.”
    Mr Speaker, as far as social interventions are concerned, the NPP Aministration has a lot to show Ghanaians what the party is worth. I would like to know which government initiated the following interventions.
    I would like to ask my Hon Colleagues on the other Side of the divide, and I would want them to answer me.
    Which Government initiated the following social interventions? Free Compulsory Universal Basic Education? The Capitation Grant, it was the NPP; Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP), the National Health Insurance, the School Feeding Programme, the National Youth Employment Programme, the Microfinance and Small Loans Centre (MASLOC), the Nation Builders Corps (NABCO), and the Free Senior High School Programmes. They were all initiated by the NPP.
    Mr Ahmed Ibrahim 12:45 p.m.
    On a point of order. Mr Speaker, my Hon Colleague on the
    other Side, Hon (Dr) Appiah-Kubi, is grossly misleading this House. It is either he does not know his facts or he is speaking on a different issue that he himself may not even appreciate.
    He asked which Government initiated the Free Compulsory Universal Basic Education. He must be told that the Free Compulsory Universal Basic Education as enshrined in the 1992 Constitution, was not only implemented by the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Government

    Mr Speaker, if he does not know, the very foundation of his contribution is faulty, and he must track his facts correctly.
    Dr Appiah-Kubi 12:45 p.m.
    Definitely, he also wants to mislead the House. It is never true that it was the NDC that introduced the Free Compulsory Universal Basic Education.
    Mr Speaker, I do not want to repeat the question posed by the Hon Minister for Finance.
    Mr Speaker 12:45 p.m.
    The Hon First Deputy Speaker would take the Chair. Please, continue.
    Dr Appiah-Kubi 12:45 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I do not want to repeat the question posed by the Hon Minister for Finance the last time, but what was the question as far as social intervention is concerned? I believe the question was, is Hon Ahmed Ibrahim listening; “Can anyone recall --”
    Mr Speaker 12:45 p.m.
    Hon Member, just contribute. Do not mention names.
    Dr Appiah-Kubi 12:45 p.m.
    Can anyone recall the social intervention policies that the social democrats, the NDC, introduced in its last eight years in Government to mitigate the hardships of Ghanaians? The answer is a categorical no.
    Indeed, the Government of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo is on course in promoting and supporting an all-inclusive economic development targeting women and children as well as the vulnerable to ensure that no one in Ghana is left behind.
    rose MR FIRST DEPUTY SPEAKER
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 12:50 p.m.
    Hon Member, hold on.
    Yes, Hon Member for Ningo- Prampram?
    Mr George 12:50 p.m.
    Thank you, Mr Speaker. I draw the attention of this Honourable
    House to Standing Order 89, which says and I beg to quote:
    “89. A Member shall not read his speech, but may read extracts from written or printed documents in support of his argument and may refresh his memory by reference to notes.”
    Mr Speaker, it has become obvious that the Hon Member contributing to the policy Statement has speeches on several sheets of paper and he is flipping from one page to the other, reading copiously and not refreshing his memory. So let us have regard for Standing Order 89. I watched him constantly move from page to page in contributing to the debate.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 12:50 p.m.
    Hon Majority Leader?
    Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 12:50 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I am sure my Hon Colleague, Samuel George is not critically observing what my Colleague, the Hon (Dr) Appiah-Kubi, is doing. He is far away.
    Mr Speaker, I know the demeanour of Hon Samuel George in these matters. Hon Appiah-Kubi is refreshing his memory from his speaking points, which he is entitled to do. So, I do not know what my Hon Colleague is talking about. He is copiously referring to his notes and not copiously reading.
    Mr Speaker, I guess we can go on and treat this as comic relief.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 12:50 p.m.
    Hon (Dr) Appiah-Kubi, are you reading?
    Dr Appiah-Kubi 12:50 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I am not reading. [Laughter.] As the Hon Majority Leader said, I am referring to my notes.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 12:50 p.m.
    Very well, Hon Member, you may proceed.
    Dr Appiah-Kubi 12:55 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, today, our pupils are better fed because the amount of money that is spent on a child has increased by 25 per cent.
    Mr Speaker, President Nana Akukfo- Addo is not doing only that. He is also investing in the future of our pupils. He is also putting moneys into the pockets of Ghanaian parents, equivalent to savings of over GH¢2,000 per child. Should one have a child in the senior high school, he is saving GH¢2,000. Where is that GH¢2,000? It is in the person's pocket.
    Mr Speaker, additionally, more money seems to be spent monthly by almost every Ghanaian in the form of energy cost savings, which we are doing. Under President Nana Akufo-Addo's Govern- ment, for the first time in the history of Ghana, energy cost has been reduced by about 17 per cent to 30 per cent in 2018.
    Mr Speaker, due to good management of the agricultural sector under the Planting for Food and Jobs Programme, food has become very cheap and in abundance -- [Hear! Hear!]. Almost all of you are saving, because you can buy food at a relatively cheaper cost.
    Mr Speaker, an important social intervention is the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS). The NHIS is now working again because the huge debt left by the NDC Government, equivalent to about GH¢1.2 billion, has now been paid. It is now working again.
    Mr Speaker, additionally, the increasing number of Ghanaians who for any reason cannot undertake any income earning ventures are now being supported under the Livelihood Empowerment against Poverty (LEAP) Programme. Now,
    it has been increased by 150,000 people. This increased number of people are now being assisted socially.
    Mr Speaker, President Nana Akukfo- Addo's Government is also heavily investing in social infrastructure to improve upon social living.

    Under the Infrastructure for Poverty Eradication Programme (IPEP), several agricultural warehouses, dams, dugouts water, sanitation facilities and markets were constructed in 2018, and this would continue in 2019 to boost economic livelihoods and income earning capacities of rural folks.

    Mr Speaker, the Government under Nana Akukfo-Addo is doing a lot to achieve on the SDGs, since that is the reason why he has been appointed as champion of the SDGs. It is because of these social interventions that the country experienced an improvement in the human development index which is now equivalent to about six (6).

    Mr Speaker, there is however one thing that we do not need to forget; despite all these social interventions and improvements in the social standards of many Ghanaians, we must not lose sight of the fact that the benefits and outcomes of these policies are not shared equitably among Ghanaians.

    Increasing number of children, rural folks, women and especially people from the savannah areas and crop farmers still remain poorer than the average population. Consequently, there is the need for this country to double up efforts and do proper targeting.
    Mr Yusif Sulemana (NDC -- Bole/ Bamboi) 12:55 p.m.
    Thank you, Mr Speaker, for this opportunity to contribute to the Motion that this House approves the Financial Policy of the Government of Ghana for the Year Ending 31st December, 2019.
    Mr Speaker, I would focus on three areas. One, stimulus package; two, 1D1FS, and three, ease of doing business.
    Mr Speaker, as part of the NPP's Manifesto promises in 2016, they promised Ghanaians that they were coming out with a stimulus package to revamp distressed companies. They used the whole of 2017 to receive proposals and do what I call debt stock appraisals, and so for the whole of 2017, they did nothing.
    In 2018, they now came up with a promise that they were going to revamp 80 distressed companies. In 2019, you would be surprised to hear that out of the 80 distressed companies, only 14 companies received support, according to the Hon Minster for Finance.
    Mr Speaker, what it means is that out of the 80, they were able to do only 14, and that is about 18 per cent. What standards are we setting for ourselves in this country, that you score 18 per cent and you call on Ghanaians to clap for you? That is mediocrity. That is under performance. That is incompetence.
    Mr Speaker, which of us here would be happy with a child who comes home with 18 per cent after going through an examination and be jubilating? What would you do to the child?
    Mr Speaker, the future of that stimulus package is bleak. It is bleak because even in 2019, we are told that 35 companies would receive support. If you put the two together, they are doing 49.
    You promised 80, you delivered 14; and you are delivering another 35 out of the 80 for two years. That is why I am saying that this is incompetence and nothing else.
    Mr Speaker, what is even interesting is that the Hon Minister for Finance came to this House -- and I refer you to page 161 of the 2018 Budget Statement, bullet numbered 8. With your permission, I read;
    “We promised a stimulus package to support local industry and we have delivered.”
    You deliver by 18 per cent? Is that what you call “deliver”? The Hausa people would say yaamutu, to wit, it is dead. So I leave it there.
    Mr Speaker, I now move on to their flagship programme,- 1D1F, a very laudable initiative, an initiative to industrialise our economy and create jobs, and this started even under the NDC Administration.
    I remember very well, while working with EXIM Bank, the National Board for Small Scale Industries (NBSSI) presented 30 districts for us to support them to industrialise their local economy. The NPP nicodemously changed the name from rural industrialisation to 1D1F.
    Mr Speaker, what is worrisome is the conflicting statements that we have received since the inception of this laudable project. With your permission, I would take you to a few of the conflicting statements. For instance, the number of factories to set up, 21st April, 10 factories
    to be commissioned by June, Gifty Ohene- Konadu, Citi FM.
    This never happened. On 25th August, 51 districts to be set up by the close of 2017, by the President himself but it never happened.
    On 27th October, 185 firms cleared to take projects in 99 districts. It never happened.
    Dr Appiah-Kubi 12:55 p.m.
    On a point of order. Mr Speaker, this is a House of records, and anything that is provided must be supported with evidence. An Hon Member cannot just use statements from radio station discussions as evidence of statements that have been made.
    Mr Speaker, for my Hon Colleague to say --
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 12:55 p.m.
    What is your complaint? What has he said that you are complaining about?
    Dr Appiah-Kubi 12:55 p.m.
    He said that somebody said something at a radio station. That cannot be accepted as evidence, and even that man is not an Hon Minister, neither is he an Hon Member of the Government. How do you then attribute that to the Government? It cannot be accepted, so he should withdraw that statement.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 12:55 p.m.
    Unfortunately, you have not told me which specific words or phrase that you find offensive, so I do not know which one he should withdraw.
    Dr Appiah-Kubi 12:55 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, he made certain categorical statements and attributed that as evidence from radio station discussions.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 12:55 p.m.
    Which statement? Which one?
    Dr Appiah-Kubi 12:55 p.m.
    Radio Gold --
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 12:55 p.m.
    Hon Member, continue.
    Mr Sulemana 12:55 p.m.
    Thank you, Mr Speaker.
    Mr Speaker, you are not paid to have a brain. You are paid when you use the brain intelligently.
    Mr Speaker, I am saying that in 2018, this Government promised us 191 factories to be set up by close of 2018 --
    Mr Matthew Nyindam 1:05 p.m.
    On a point of order. Mr Speaker, thank you very much.
    Mr Speaker, it is an insult for him to say the Hon Member is not using his brain intelligently. Mr Speaker, I do not think that can be accepted in this House. He should withdraw and then proceed.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 1:05 p.m.
    Hon Leader, I am not sure. What I heard him say is that, you are not paid for having a brain; you are rewarded for using it. He did not say that in relation to any person. I believe he made a general statement.
    Hon Member, did you say that in relation to any person?
    Mr Sulemana 1:05 p.m.
    No, Mr Speaker. He is the one saying it.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 1:05 p.m.
    Very well, proceed.
    Mr Sulemana 1:05 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, you will live long. [Laughter.]
    Mr Speaker, we were promised 191 factories by the close of 2018. In the 2019 Budget Statement, we are told that by the close of this year, 79 would have been implemented. Mr Speaker, we have seen a different trend in the fulfilment of the promise.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 1:05 p.m.
    Hon Member, that is false. I presided. He did not make that promise. Please, withdraw that and proceed. You have one more minute.
    Mr Sulemana 1:05 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I heard him when he was being vetted by you. I sat there because he is a Friend and he said that the Upper East Region would be given a dog factory and the Volta Region a cat factory.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 1:05 p.m.
    Hon Member, somebody asked him a question that he was alleged to have made that
    statement and he explained that he and the radio station said that if dogs are eaten in China, then it could be. He never made that promise. At that time, he was not even an Hon Minister. If you like, we would bring the records from the vetting for you to verify the truth.
    Mr Sulemana 1:05 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I am grateful and guided. I have withdrawn that.
    Mr Speaker, the 1D1F policy lacks credibility because of the conflicting statements. Mr Speaker, policy effectiveness is anchored on reputation and credibility and this policy lacks them. So, I say to them that this programme yaa mu tu.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 1:05 p.m.
    Hon Member, you have one more minute.
    Mr Sulemana 1:05 p.m.
    Finally, Mr Speaker, in my view, if this is what the NPP has promised us, then I can say on authority that with this performance, they should just wait. Come 2020, they will see bobolibobo. [Laughter.]
    Mr Speaker, I would now take you to ease of doing business and that is captured in paragraph 603 on page 127. In 2016, Ghana was ranked 108. In the year 2018, Ghana is ranked 114. Mr Speaker, in 2017, this Government incompetently took us --
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 1:05 p.m.
    Hon Ato Panford, you have 15 minutes according to my card.
    Mr Ato Panford (NPP -- Shama) 1:05 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I am most grateful for the consideration to grant me this opportunity to debate the financial policy of our Government for the year ending 31st December, 2019.
    Mr Speaker, I believe that there are some issues that we need to clarify here in this Chamber. My Hon Colleague made some erroneous statements that were not backed by any facts to mislead this House.
    Mr Speaker, the policies instituted by this Government in the previous years, indeed, realised true economic gains for this nation. Mr Speaker, I would crave your indulgence for me to make a reference to the Budget Statement before us.
    On page 6, if we refer to paragraph 19 bullets numbered 9 and 10, it is evident here and it is recorded as such, and with your permission, I read:
    “Ghana's trade position with the rest of the world was strengthened. The trade account recorded a deficit of US$1.4 billion in June 2016.”
    Mr Speaker, this was during their tenure. We came and put right economic policies in place. Now, it is evident here from the Budget Statement that we have had improved trade balances with a surplus whereby we have been able to record US$1.1 billion for 2017 and another US$1.1 billion in 2018.
    This is a true policy which will lead the country into the right economic platform that we require. Mr Speaker, my Hon Colleague from the other Side and I were in a meeting just this morning with a German delegation and then the same Hon Member praised this same Government for the 1D1F policy. So, it surprises me that he comes to the Chamber and just speaks so negatively about the policy.
    Mr Panford 1:05 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I would want to put on record that this Budget Statement presented to the House -- [Interruption.]
    rose
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 1:05 p.m.
    Hon Member, hold on.
    Hon Member for Bole/Bamboi?
    Mr Sulemana 1:05 p.m.
    On a point of order. Mr Speaker, I believe my Hon Vice Chairman is misleading this House. He mentioned my name and said that at a meeting where we met with foreigners, I praised the 1D1F
    -- 1:05 p.m.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 1:05 p.m.
    Hon Member, he did not mention your name.
    Mr Sulemana 1:05 p.m.
    He did please. He said the same person and I spoke from this Side. [Interruption.] Who is the person? Mr Speaker, he referred to me.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 1:05 p.m.
    You assumed that he referred to you but he did not mention you by name.
    Hon Member, if you intend to mention him by name, do so. If not, then you have to clarify whom you referred to.
    Mr Panford 1:15 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, I will do so when it is required and I will mention names and then prove it.
    Mr Speaker, this Budget Statement before us is one of the finest which would yield the results that we need as a nation. Mr Speaker, if we talk about 1D1F, I believe the Hon Minister was in this House to report verbatim, the current position that we are in.
    I must indicate that there is nowhere that we have resuscitated or revitalised old factories and claimed them to be new ones as part of 1D1F.
    rose
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 1:15 a.m.
    Hon Member, hold on. Yes, Hon Member for Bole-Bamboi?
    Mr Sulemana 1:15 a.m.
    On a point of order. Mr Speaker, I am grateful. I have taken time to go through the Budget Statement thoroughly and I have not seen anywhere that my constituency or district stands to benefit from what he is saying. So, he is misleading this House.
    Thank you.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 1:15 a.m.
    Hon Member, did you say the Budget Statement has in it his constituency as a beneficiary?
    Mr Panford 1:15 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, rightly so. There are districts that are going to benefit. May I humbly refer my Hon Colleague to the same page 123, paragraph 580, and let me rightly read it for him to note. It reads:
    “Mr Speaker, the National Board for Small Scale Industries (NBSSI), with support from the Rural Enterprise Programme (REP), assisted 1, 078 Micro and Small Enterprise (MSEs) businesses to access institutional credit whilst 2,259 training programmes were organised for 45, 022 MSEs. In 2019, NBSSI will complete the construction of 67 Business Resource Centres (BRCs) in various districts. In addition, an in-house Business Incubator is to be established, and 94 Business Advisory Centres (BACs) upgraded”.
    Mr Speaker, I speak on authority that as the Board Chairman of the NBSSI, his district is going to benefit. So he should join us to approve this Budget Statement.
    Mr Speaker, I would like to continue with the GRATIS Foundation.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 1:25 a.m.
    The Hon Member's objection was that his constituency has not been mentioned in the Budget Statement. You have confirmed that, but you are saying that you know, as a result of being the Board Chairman, that under the Programme, his constituency would be part of the beneficiary districts.
    Is that right?
    Mr Panford 1:25 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, rightly so.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 1:25 a.m.
    Hon Member, do you have an objection to that?
    Mr Yusif Sulemana 1:25 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, I can only thank him and hope that next year by this time, my constituency would have benefited, because that is the assurance he is giving to me. I would also want him to give you the assurance that come next year, my constituency would have benefited, because that is what he says, and it is on record.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 1:25 a.m.
    The Hon Member is speaking as the Board Chairman, and so he is not answerable to me here. He is not an Hon Minister to give me that assurance.
    Hon Member, please, you may continue.
    Mr Panford 1:25 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, indeed, I must state that this Financial Policy statement is one of the best that I have ever read. Since 2016, we have put these measures in place to ensure that trade and industry, which is the spine of the economy of this nation, thrives very hard.
    If we look at the indicators that I made reference to, we would all note the kind of positive surpluses that we have been able to generate.
    Mr Speaker, as at June 2018, out of an amount of US$1.1 billion, we had three (3) surpluses, and if we put these policy statements down, I pray that our Hon Colleagues on the other Side of the aisle would support us to approve this Budget Statement.
    Mr Speaker, GRATIS Foundation has been the anchor behind the industry that produces spare parts and other parts of machinery to support the industry in machinery equipment. We would see in our Budget Statement, on the same page
    123.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 1:25 a.m.
    Hon Member, you have one minute more.
    Mr Panford 1:25 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, on the same page 123, this Government has indicated the policy direction where GRATIS would be supported to be able to provide the needed machinery equipment and spare supplies to support industry.
    Mr Speaker, in conclusion, I would want to say that we have touched on trade development programmes, regional development programmes, strategic anchor programmes, stimulus programmes and we have also touched on the 1D1F programmes, which I believe is the main key driver that would support trade and industry in this nation.
    Mr Mathias Ntow (NDC -- Aowin) 1:25 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, I thank you for the opportunity to contribute to this debate.
    Mr Speaker I rise to contribute to the debate on the floor, that this House approves the Financial Policy of the Government of Ghana for the year ending 31st December, 2019.
    Mr Speaker, I would like to first and foremost, look at the “One District, One Factory” Programme. With the basic economics that I learnt some years back, probably, many or some of our Hon Colleagues were not born at the time, I realised that in siting industries, one of the important things to consider is road.
    If we are setting up an industry in the Western Region and more specifically, in a town called Jema in my constituency, and the road is in the worst state, how then could this factory be sited to produce something for the benefit of the people of this country? It would become extremely difficult.
    Mr Speaker, therefore, in my view, before this laudable idea of the “One District One Factory” could happen and be very effective, Government must first look at the road network in this country, more especially, in the Western Region of this Republic.
    Mr Speaker, to continue, I would want to put on record that the Free and Compulsory Universal Basic Education (FCUBE), as mentioned by one of my Hon Colleagues who spoke previously, was the baby of the National Democratic Congress ( NDC). It was fully implemented in 1995. My Hon Colleagues on the other Side of the aisle should go and check the records.
    Mr Ntow 1:25 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, I wonder what the Hon Majority Leader is going to say because this is --
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 1:25 a.m.
    Yes, Hon Majority Leader?
    Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 1:25 a.m.
    On a point of order. Mr Speaker, first of all, it is most inaccurate to say that the Free Compulsory Universal Basic Education is the baby of the NDC. It cannot be. That is a constitutional imperative, and so it is certainly not a baby of the NDC.
    Mr Speaker, secondly, it is also most untrue to say that the NDC implemented it fully in 1995. That is most untrue. Indeed, the concept paper was introduced in this Parliament in 1998, under the NDC; that is true. But it was not implemented in 1995.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 1:25 a.m.
    Hon Member, be guided by that information.
    Mr Ntow 1:35 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, I thank you.

    Mr Speaker, when we go to page 127 of the Budget Statement which was presented by the Hon Minister for Finance, we would discover that the ease of doing business in this country has the records that, in 2016, Ghana was ranked

    118 out of 190, but in 2017, it dropped to 120 out of 190.

    Mr Speaker, again, when we look at the indicators of credit to private sector or institutions, we would find out that in 2016, it was 44; then in 2018, it dropped to 73, which was an indication of an abysmal performance by the Government.

    If the Hon Minister is monitoring from his office, then he should come again and make sure that all the corrections are made to ensure that this country moves forward as far as trade and industry in this country is concerned.

    Mr Speaker, again, on trade across borders, we also discover that in 2016, it was 164; then it dropped again to 156 in 2018. Now, when we compare these two figures, which is better? It was rather that of 2016, under the watch of the former President, His Excellency John Dramani Mahama --

    Mr Speaker, again, in registration of property, in 2016 it was 77, then it dropped to 123 in 2018. This is evidence of an abysmal performance. In resolving insolvency in this country, in 2016, it was 155; then it went down to 160 in 2018. This is another indication of an abysmal performance.

    Mr Speaker, today, importers are suffering and clearing agents are also suffering. Teachers are crying, nurses, doctors and politicians are suffering, probably including the indefatigable Hon Majority Leader himself. He is very much aware and he is saddened by the cost of revenue in this country today — 2018 in the year of our Lord.

    Mr Speaker, another area I would want to touch on is the stimulus package that was previously mentioned by my Hon

    Colleagues. There are some questions that we have to ask. The Hon Minister must be invited to this Honourable House to provide the answers.

    Those companies that benefitted last year, he should tell us which companies they are and the amount given to them. The criteria used in the selection of those companies must be made known to all of us here.

    This is because as a House of representatives, anything that would go out to benefit the good people of this country must be brought here for us to be aware. This would enable us answer questions in our various constituencies.

    Mr Speaker, again, it is also important for the Hon Minister to tell us the companies and those specific areas that would benefit this year, 2018. One thing that strikes me a lot is the mention of the factories that we established in this country. In the Western Region of this country, we have only one.

    Would the Hon Minister be kind enough to tell us, especially those of us from the Western Region, where that industry has been cited? They should tell us, so that we would know and when we go out there and our people ask us, we would have tangible answers to provide to them.

    It was not recorded in the message by the Hon Minister for Tourism, Arts and Culture that Chocolate Day was organised in this country. That is a very good idea and I think that we have to patronise our local products for the rest of the world to follow.

    Mr Speaker, it might interest you also to note that for the farmers who produce

    the beans for chocolate to be manufactured, some of them have not even tasted chocolate in their lifetime. Meanwhile, they are the people who caused this production to take place. What is Government doing to these farmers in the hinterlands?

    There is one important institution in this nation that Government -- and not only the NPP Government but Government's right from the time of independence to date -- have not paid much attention to and that is GRATIS Foundation. This is an institution that is training the manpower of this nation.

    You would find that a lot of youth have been trained in the construction or manufacturing of machines. There was a time I mentioned the availability or non- availability of fufu pounding machines and my Hon Colleagues on the other Side lambasted me.

    Let me ask them, do they, including the Hon Deputy Majority Whip, not have fufu pounding machines in their homes? He is an advocate for the eating of fufu.

    This is an area that we need to pay attention to because the manpower of this nation depends solely on the youth. Therefore, I would urge the Hon Minister to ensure that this year, the allocation to the GRATIS Foundation must be increased for them to have the strength to train more youth in the area of handiwork skills, to help in the building of our beloved nation.

    Mr Speaker, before I take my seat, I want to put on record and urge all Hon Members in this House who are the true representatives of the people of this nation, that we need psychological rejuvenation. All of us must change our mind-set on the development of this nation.
    Mr Ntow 1:35 a.m.


    The development of this nation depends on us as leaders of this nation. Therefore, it behoves on us that in any position that we find ourselves, we should ensure that Ghana comes first. Made in Ghana products must be patronised by all of us in this House.

    I like the initiative of the Hon Minister some time ago that on Fridays, we must put on Ghana made products. This is a very good initiative, therefore, we have to ensure that all the political parties come together. Let us sit down, talk and make sure that this is the path that we are toeing to ensure that this nation develops.

    We travel to other countries and appreciate all the developmental projects that have gone on, but what is happening in this country? This is the word of advice and encouragement I would want to give to all people, especially those of us in leadership today, that this nation must be developed by we the current leaders, so that posterity would applaud us.

    Thank you, Mr Speaker, for this great opportunity.
    Nana Amaniampong Marfo (NPP -- Afigya Kwabre North) 1:35 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, thank you for the opportunity to debate the Financial Policy which was delivered to us in this august House on 15th November,
    2018.
    I am happy to be here this afternoon because of the message our Colleague brothers and sisters have just given to us. What Hon Yusif Sulemana and Hon Ntow have just spewed out reminds me of books that we read in Secondary School. There is one with a character called Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.
    This very morning, between 9 o'clock and 10 o'clock, Hon Yusif Sulemana was singing the praise of this Budget Statement before a delegation from Germany.
    rose
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 1:35 a.m.
    Hon Member, hold on.
    Yes, Hon Sulemana?
    Mr Sulemana 1:45 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I am grateful. The Hon Chairman is misinforming this House by saying that this morning I was seen praise-singing the Budget Statement. I do not get it. Could he provide any evidence to this?

    N. A. Marfo: Mr Speaker, the evidence is his Hon Colleagues on the Minority Side, who were there at the meeting, but that is of no significance. Let me go ahead.

    Mr Speaker, all governments since the Fourth Republic have said that they would want to take Ghana to the next level, but none of them -- Probably, with the exception of the erstwhile President Kufuor's Government which started all the good works, but because of some problems, they were not given the light of day to see to its final conclusion --

    President Akufo-Addo's Government has now come to power, and given the direction in which a 10-Point Agenda for Ghana would be industrialised, Ghana could take its place in the comity of nations.

    Mr Speaker, we need to take our petro- chemical industry seriously with the finding of oil and gas for which our Hon

    Friends from the other Side of the aisle did not allow us to craft good laws which would have given Ghana the opportunity to benefit wholly from the resource. The oil and gas business now hangs in the atmosphere.

    Mr Speaker, the NPP Government would make sure that it takes the oil and gas business seriously, and through that, fertilizers would be developed and bitumen would also be acquired to construct roads, so that every village in Ghana would have motorable roads.

    Mr Speaker, the next anchor is the oil palm business. It is in the Budget Statement and we would make sure that the oil palm industry -- Malaysia came to Ghana for the first palm kernels and now they have been able to develop them to the point that they can even get fuel from it to run their cars.

    We believe that with seriousness and with the Hon Minister for Trade and Industry, Hon Alan Kwadwo Kyere- manten, we would make sure that this country is fully industrialised by using the raw materials which are in abundance in the country.

    Mr Speaker, the NDC Government did well; they started with Ernest Chemist, Tobinco Pharmacy and a few of them and they were able to probe the pharmaceutical industry to a certain point. But I would want to assure them that with the growth poles that have been set up, pharmaceutical business in Ghana would leap to the highest level that anybody could think of.

    Mr Speaker, Ghana cannot develop by leaving the Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) businesses behind, so this Government has a clear cut policy

    and I believe my Hon Colleagues on the Committee on Trade and Industry and Tourism are aware of the efficient programmes which have been set up.

    What is left is money for its execution, and that is why the Hon Minister for Finance has promised that he would mobilise US$1billion and leverage it in the various SME businesses which would give the teeming youth who are unemployed the necessary job opportunities when they graduate from colleges of education.

    Mr Speaker, Hon Ntow commented on the fact that the Ghanaian economy is on its knees because it was ranked at the 114th position. If they have forgotten, previously, Ghana was ranked at the 120th position. At least, with all the challenges that we had we have been able to reduce it by six (6) points, so I do not know what the problem of the Minority is about.

    This is because with the hole they left behind, if we have been able to cover it and for that matter put Ghana six (6) basic points ahead, then they should know that come 2019 and 2020, when we have everything in place and when this Budget Statement has been executed, only God knows where we would be. [Interruption].

    Mr Speaker, the Minority knows and they are baffled as to how this was done because they knew we would not survive when we came -- The deficit they left us and the fact that they messed up and made sure that most industries that were left behind collapsed and we have been able to prop all these industries to this status, they are baffled and do not even know whether we can move ahead. But this is a challenge to us.

    Mr Speaker, I would want to assure the Minority that come 2019, when the next Budget Statement would be read, they

    I would want to tell them that this Budget Statement is the best thing that has ever happened to Ghana and we would make sure that it is properly executed. If it is done with the commitment with which the Party and our homes are run, I believe that Ghana would be a place to visit.

    Mr Speaker, this morning, a delegation from the German Parliament visited us, and if Hon Colleagues from the other Side of the aisle would tell the truth, the delegation sang praises of Ghana. They said Ghana is a place to be and they were really impressed.

    From Ghana they would go to Nigeria -- Where did they get the figure with which they sang our praises? We are in the global village so people can google. They googled and saw that when the NPP Government was coming into power the growth rate was 3.8 per cent and now, it is 8.5 per cent.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 1:45 p.m.
    Hon Member, you have a minute.
    Mr N. A. Marfo 1:45 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, it has been projected that with the few hitches that we had as far as the financial sector which was created by them -- They sat down to watch banks operate without licences.
    Dr Clement .A. Apaak (NDC -- Builsa South) 1:55 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I thank you for giving me the opportunity to contribute to the debate on the Budget Statement and Government Economic Policy for the year ending, 31st December, 2019.
    Mr Speaker, it is only proper and fair that I do what is needful before I delve into the main substance of my submission.
    Mr Speaker, with your permission, I would want to make reference to page 273 of the Budget Statement where there is a Table which is titled, “Upper East Region”. Under the item numbered 5 in this table there are a list of communities assigned to my constituency, Builsa South.
    Mr Speaker, there are six items in the first column on the page. I have tried very hard to locate three of the six communities captured under 10-Seater Water Closet Instituted Toilets with Mechanised Boreholes: Zaari market, Garu Zongo, Garu Natinga, and I have failed to locate these communities in my constituency.
    Perhaps, I may need Government to send a delegation to assist me in locating the said communities in my constituency.
    Mr Speaker, we cannot speak about Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration without mentioning the role of our dear nation in the comity of nations —
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 1:55 p.m.
    Hon Member, please hold on.
    Hon Members, having regard to the state of business, I direct that the House Sits outside the regular Sitting hours.
    Dr Apaak 1:55 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, we cannot speak about Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration without talking about the image of our nation in the comity of nations. Indeed, Ghana has always been seen as a very flowering nation as far as our credentials are concerned.
    But in the last 23 months, our image in the global community has suffered some very devastating setbacks, largely due to the content of the now famous Number 12 expose as well as the Australia Gold Coast visa scandal.
    Mr Speaker, as I speak now, the level of scrutiny has been heightened when Ghanaians apply for visas, because in spite of the fact that Government saw it fit to institute an investigation into the matter of the Australian visa application scandal, we are yet to see the report. As I speak, I have no knowledge of anyone being held accountable.
    Like it or not, circumstances such as these have implications for our position in the comity of nations.
    Mr Speaker, another important matter that borders on our relationships with the rest of the world has to do with migration, both legal and illegal.
    Our President, himself, a former Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, has had course to complain about the maltreatment and inhumane treatment being meted out to Ghanaian citizens in different parts of the world.
    Indeed, the President has been quoted several times as indicating that he would work to stop illegal migration with a strong economy. The President has been quoted as indicating that he was angry over the inhumane treatment of African migrants.
    On several platforms, our President has not shied away from indicating his displeasure with regard to the manner in which Ghanaian and African migrants are being treated in different parts of the world.
    Mr Speaker, it therefore baffles me greatly that going through the Budget Statement, the section under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, I see no policy, no plan and initiative towards addressing the concerns that the President himself has indicated, and it makes me wonder whether perhaps, this is not merely lip service.
    Mr Speaker, as we speak, the Americans have indicated to us that they are in the process of deporting about 7,000 Ghanaians whom they claim are deemed to be illegal migrants currently in the United States of America.
    This issue gained a lot of attraction and resulted in a lot of discourse and conversation. As we speak, unfortunately, Government has not been very clear in terms of the actions it intends to take as far as this debacle of life impasse is concerned.
    Mr Speaker, recently, Ghana's Ambassador to the United States made a statement to the effect that Ghana and America had reached an agreement that was going to pave way for our compatriots to be repatriated, only for the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, a week after, to contradict the statement made by the Ambassador.
    As we speak, we are not exactly sure of what Government's plans are and what is happening to those designated as illegal immigrants in the United States slated to be deported back to Ghana.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 1:55 p.m.
    Hon Member, you have one minute more.
    Dr Apaak 1:55 p.m.
    Government is not serious in terms of attracting and making it conducive for Ghanaians abroad to do more.
    Perhaps, the rather unfortunate incident that we experienced in 2017, when Ghanaians abroad bought their own plane tickets and flew home to Ghana to participate in a home-coming summit and tended to be called whiners, it has perhaps, curbed Government from continuing on this effort.
    I would like to encourage Government not to give up but to continue to pursue this agenda because we stand to benefit.
    Mr Speaker, lastly, I would want to touch on the issue of Passport Application Centres. Indeed, it has always been the intention that all the ten regions of the country would have Passport Application Centres.
    Mr Andy Kwame Appiah-Kubi (NPP -- Asante Akim North) 2:05 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I rise with deference and gratitude to contribute to this Budget Statement and Economic Policy of Government for the year 2019.
    Mr Speaker, I would premise my discussions on two major economic policies advertised in this document. With your kind permission, I would refer to paragraph 19 on page 6 of the Budget Statement. I would read it to emphasise my point with your kind permission.
    “Ghana's debt to GDP ratio which increased from 32 per cent in 2008 to 73.1 per cent in 2016 declined for the first time since 2007 from 73.1 per cent of GDP in 2016 to 67.3 per cent in June 2018.”
    Mr Speaker, as we speak, it has further declined to 57.2 per cent as at the end of September, 2018.
    Again, I would refer to the next line of the same paragraph which states with your permission:
    “For the first time in almost a decade, Standard and Poor's (S&P)
    upgraded Ghana's Sovereign Credit rating from B negative to B with a stable outlook in September 2018.”
    Mr Speaker, these two achievements by this present Government positions Ghana on investment platforms as a destination to do business and that the influx of companies into the country is because of the performance of this Government in the economic sphere.
    Mr Speaker, I would want to seek your indulgence to explain the concept of 1D1F to the understanding of my good Hon friends on the other Side of the House. Probably, everybody thinks that we are waiting for government to plant factories in our districts. All of us who think like that are doing so negatively because it would not happen as manna dropping into the various districts.
    Mr Speaker, most of our industries in Ghana are agro-based. To grow an agro- based enterprise, one needs to start from the end of the value chain by doing the cropping. When one's supply chain is ready, then he or she could start doing the planting of the factory.
    Mr Speaker, we should be learning from the experience during the National Democratic Congress (NDC) regime when the Komenda Sugar Factory started with the construction of the factory when we had not prepared to supply it with the necessary materials.
    We should not expect a sustainable enterprise to just grow by starting from the building of the factory. In my own district, we are promoting four enterprises and these are all agro-based.
    Mr Speaker, I would want to also go to Huni-Valley where they are preparing to produce oil palm. They have put under cultivation -- outgrowers have planted oil palm in anticipation of harvesting it for the use of the factory.
    Mr Andy Kwame Appiah-Kubi (NPP -- Asante Akim North) 2:05 p.m.
    Likewise in my own district of Agogo,
    we have now developed 8,000 acres of cashew plantation in preparation of fruiting and churning them into our factories. We would start the construction of the factories in the third year when we would have realised some materials to go into the factory.
    Mr Speaker, I believe we should learn from this. All those who are saying -- Indeed, with your kind permission, I would refer to a statement made by one of us that the 1D1F lacks credibility.
    With due respect to you, Mr Speaker, this statement is very illiterate in nature, considering the discussions I have made and the direction that I have pointed the House to and the experiences that we have as a country, and not forgetting the Komenda Sugar Factory episode.
    Mr Speaker, all of us should lead this charge in the 1D1F mantra. Those of us who are community leaders should show leadership by example and mobilise people into those economic areas.
    Mr Speaker, we all have different backgrounds and the potential in our places are very different. So, as community leaders, we need to identify the potential of our various districts and mobilise the necessary resources and manpower to develop those potentials into viable ventures.
    Let us not sit here and expect Government to come into our various districts to set up the factories. The onus is on us to lead the charge.
    Mr Speaker, if we understand the concept very well, then it means that those of us here must participate. Nothing stops us from creating the enterprises in our various constituencies or districts.
    Mr Speaker, we would be guilty of non- performance in the four years if Hon Members do not have industries in their districts or constituencies.
    Our people would judge us as community leaders in terms of performance based on the industries that we have promoted. So, let us take a cue and follow the Government's agenda of providing every district with a factory. The onus is on us to perform.
    Mr Speaker, that is not the only package that Government is giving to us. Let me refer you to paragraph 568 of the Budget Statement and Economic Policy of Government for 2019. It talks about incentive packages that go with the Government's agenda.
    We are being offered tax holiday under the 1D1F programme. According to that paragraph, we are exempted from payment of duties and taxes on raw materials and imported machinery.
    Mr Speaker, what more do we expect the Government to do? The business of Government is not to go into any enterprise; the business of Government is to create the enabling environment for enterprises to flourish. This is what the Government is doing.
    The NPP Government has provided us with the concept of design, development and industrialisation in the 1D1F. It has also supported that with incentive packages of easy access and exemptions of tax and duties on imports.
    Mr Speaker, going forward, under the Ministry of Trade and Industry, according to paragraph 570, the Government has sourced investable capital to support this initiative. The Government has made available an amount of US$400 million to support industries that are being established in the various districts.
    Again, Mr Speaker, I would borrow a sentence from the legendary Bob Marley in his song, but I would amend one of the words therein that, “in the midst of water, the uninformed is thirsty”. The Government has provided us with all these incentives and packages under the Ghana Export Promotion Authority.
    It has again given us seedlings and even human resources in the form of extension officers to support the growth of these plants, yet we do not see anything. So, if we do not see, we would not enjoy.

    Mr Speaker, again, the Government has made available US$1billion from various sources to support the 1D1F initiative and I would, with your kind permission, refer you to paragraph 571 of the Budget Statement.

    Mr Speaker, in paragraph 573, the Budget Statement talks about the creation of industrial zones. As I speak, we have a successful industrial park in Accra. I was privileged to have led the charge in the development of that industrial park.

    I am ever grateful to the Government of former President Agyekum Kufuor for giving me the opportunity to perform under the Ghana Free Zones Authority (GFZA) then.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 2:15 p.m.
    Hon Member, you have one minute more.
    Mr Appiah-Kubi 2:15 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, the industrial park in the various regions should not foreclose our quest for industrial clusters in our various districts.
    I have already talked about plantain, cashew, cassava and water melon processing. Putting all these enterprises in one location provides us the seed engine for us to enjoy the advantages of the economic cluster of a place.
    Mr Speaker, we should learn from our brothers and sisters if we do not know; we should not unduly criticise policies and programmes that are supposed to deliver Ghana out of the economic mess.
    Mr Speaker, with these few words, I pray that our Hon Brothers and Sisters on the other side of the House would lead the chorus in trumpeting the good works of the present Government and participate --
    Mr Magnus Kofi Amoatey (NDC-- Yilo Krobo) 2:15 p.m.
    Thank you, Mr Speaker, for the opportunity to participate in the debate to approve the financial policy of the Government of Ghana laid before this House by the Hon Minister for Finance.
    Mr Speaker, I would dwell on two areas; public safety and corruption. In paragraph 911 of the Budget Statement, the Hon
    Minister said, and I beg to quote 2:15 p.m.
    “…the broad aim of the Public Safety Sector is to promote the rule
    rose
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 2:15 p.m.
    Hon Member for Ekumfi --
    Mr Francis Kingsley Ato Codjoe 2:15 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, the Hon Member made a very sweeping statement when he spoke about vigilantism. He said that nobody goes to bed and sleeps soundly. I think that is an overstatement; I sleep very well in my house, so I think that statement is not very fair to the Government. He should withdraw that.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 2:15 p.m.
    Hon Member, can you repeat your complaint?
    Mr F. K. A. Codjoe 2:15 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, he made a statement that nobody goes to bed and sleeps soundly. I said that is not a true reflection of the state we are in as a country. So, he should retract those statements.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 2:15 p.m.
    Hon Member, when you go to bed, do you not sleep soundly?
    Mr Amoatey 2:15 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, the Hon Member who raised the objection would himself confirm to this House that he is a victim of political --
    Mr Frist Deputy Speaker 2:15 p.m.
    No, he said that he sleeps soundly.
    Mr Amoatey 2:15 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, the reference was not in relation to vigilantism. I spoke of insecurity in general.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 2:15 p.m.
    Yes, but it is not everybody who does not sleep, so qualify it.
    Mr Amoatey 2:15 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I take a cue and say that most Ghanaians go to bed without being assured of their safety. [Interruption.] It is because --
    rose
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 2:15 p.m.
    Hon Leader --
    Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 2:15 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, at no time in the history of Ghana and, indeed, any society has it ever happened that all the residents or citizens of that community have gone to bed without any fears. That is a statement of fact.
    Mr Speaker, for the Hon Member to say that in Ghana today most people -- What is the basis for making that statement? He could say that some people go to bed having some premonitions or being afraid, and that may be acceptable; but to say that most people -- He must ground that on factual statistics that have been produced. Does he have that evidence?
    Mr Ahmed Ibrahim 2:15 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, the fear of being attacked is everywhere including this House. You would remember that from the last Parliament to date, Hon Members of Parliament have asked for security protection in our various homes.
    Hon Members of Parliament have been attacked, and the Hon Member was very emphatic. He said that we should not be divided along political lines. This is a fact, and hardly could one make a statement without being drawn into political lines.
    Hon Amoatey was emphatic that even the Hon Member who raised the objection was a victim. If his witness is here, it tells us that there are issues of insecurity.
    So, may we allow my Hon Colleague to continue. If there are issues of insecurity, it behoves all of us to come together to address them. That is what he said.
    Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 2:15 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, this is a House of records. We should not forget that any statement that is made here may reverberate or resonate in some circles.
    We have our President going outside to woo investors into this country. He is an Hon Member of Parliament who says that most Ghanaians go to bed worried about their security. That is a very serious statement. If my Hon Colleague does not see it that way, it is a very serious statement.
    I said that it may be true that some Ghanaians may have this fear; but certainly, not most of them. If he says most, he must produce evidence.
    That is the issue I raised.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 2:25 p.m.
    Hon Member, I believe that the point is well noted. Could you qualify it well? Many Ghanaians --
    Mr Amoatey 2:25 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I am grateful.
    Mr Speaker, some Ghanaians go to bed --
    Mr Speaker, when I was talking about violence I had in mind the ignoble experience of our late Hon Colleague, Mr J. B. Danquah, who was murdered in his house. It is a fact that it happened and I am not looking at the judicial merits of that case. It is a fact that our Hon Colleague and several other people have been murdered.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 2:25 p.m.
    Hon Member, you have one minute remaining.
    Mr Amoatey 2:25 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, my next area is that the NPP promised to fight corruption and I believe it was to fight corruption to the teeth. What is happening today?
    The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) has been set up and in two years of the NPP's Administration in office I expect to see a number of prosecutions, convictions and confiscations that the OSP has done.
    Mr Speaker, if you go through the Budget Statement for this year, on page 216 the OSP has been given a staff ceiling of 12.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 2:25 p.m.
    The last contributor is Hon Mavis Nkansah Boadu.
    Ms Mavis Nkansa-Boadu (NPP -- Afigya Sekyere East) 2:25 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, thank you for the opportunity to contribute to the debate on the Budget Statement and Economic Policy of the Government of Ghana for the 2019 Financial Year which was presented to the House by the Hon Minister for Finance, Mr Ken Ofori-Atta, on behalf of the President.
    Mr Speaker, I would commence by commending the President of the Republic, His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo- Addo, for restoring hope that was lost to Ghanaians before his governance.
    I would also take this opportunity to commend the Hon Minister for Finance for clearly echoing the vision of the President to enrich the lives of Ghanaians through the Mpuntuo Budget Statement.
    Mr Speaker, paragraph 289 of the 2018 Budget Statement mentioned Govern- ment's intention to roll up an online passport service and to also add on to the passport application service centres that we have in Ghana. Truthfully, to his word and as we speak today, two centres have been added in the Greater Accra and Eastern Regions.
    It is unfair for a Ghanaian to travel the length and breadth of this country just to acquire a passport. I believe that if a person is from Tema, he or she would not have to travel to Accra just to acquire a passport. The person could just be in Tema and acquire the passport. In the same vein if a person is coming from the Eastern Region, the person could conveniently go to Koforidua and get a passport.
    Mr Speaker, my Hon Colleague on the other Side asserted that this Government does not care about Ghanaians in the diaspora, but he was misleading this House. As we speak right now, the Government is in the process of rolling out an E-Visa and this would reduce the time that Ghanaians would have to wait for a passport acquisition.
    Also, as we speak, we have opened eight more missions within two years and this makes it 82 Ghanaian missions globally. Mr Speaker, I believe that the online application service that has been introduced in Ghana would reduce the huge sums of money that are paid to middlemen who are also known as goro boys.
    It would also reduce the travel time because people would not have to move from one region to the other to acquire a visa. It is a right of a Ghanaian to get a visa and I do not know why we have to be burdened to do so.
    Mr Speaker, the world is a global village and we all depend on each other for survival. His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has hosted an unprecedented number of foreign dignitaries including from the Prince of Wales. Luckily for me, he was in my constituency to visit some cocoa farmers and he reiterated his commitment to the cocoa industry.
    We have the likes of Queen Mathilde of Belgium, Presidents and Vice Presidents, heads of institutions and a Prime Minister who visited Ghana. It is not by coincidence that these are happening under President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo- Addo, the competent one.
    There is an Akan adage that goes “nie oforo edua pa ena ye pia no” meaning it is worth to support a person who is pursuing a noble or a good cause. I believe that is what is happening here.
    Mr Speaker, these have not been just visits but they have yielded prospective gains for this country. As we speak now, Ghana has signed an agreement with three different giant international automobile industries, namely Volkswagen, Sino Truck and Nissan.
    They have plans to bring their assembly plants to Ghana and Ghana is regaining its lost hope. This would also help to drastically reduce the unemployment rate in this country as some of our young men and women would be engaged in these companies.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 2:35 p.m.
    Hon Members, that is the end of the list for today.
    Yes, Hon Majority Leader, let me hear you.
    Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 2:35 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, there are three Hon Members from either
    Side of the House who have indicated their readiness to have their bites. I would plead that, at least, you indulge one each from either Side of the House.
    My Hon Colleague from the back there came pleading. If you could indulge him, at least, and take the other one from our Side. From there, you can then take the Question and then we call it a day, respectfully.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 2:35 p.m.
    Very well.
    Yes, Hon Deputy Minority Chief Whip?
    Mr Ahmed Ibrahim 2:35 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, on our list, we were supposed to have Hon Masawud, Hon Alhassan Umar and Hon Chiwitey. These are the three Hon Members who are left to make their contributions. If we can accommodate the three, we have no problem.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 2:35 p.m.
    The Hon Leader made an application for one contribution each. I am asking whether you approve of that, and you have increased it to three.
    Mr Ahmed Ibrahim 2:35 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, all right. I see the Hon Leader signalling me that we should make application for two Hon Members. So, if you could take Hon Masawud, the Deputy Ranking Member for the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and Hon Dari Chiwitey.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 2:35 p.m.
    Very well, Hon Masawud?
    Alhaji Masawud Mohammed (NDC -- Pru West) 2:35 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I thank you for the opportunity to contribute to the debate.
    Let me first of all correct my Hon Colleague who just spoke. She misquoted the paragraph on passport administration by citing paragraph 298. She was
    supposed to have quoted paragraph 421 of the 2019 Budget Statement. I do not know where she got the paragraph she quoted from.
    rose
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 2:35 p.m.
    Hon Member, hold on.
    Yes, Hon Mavis Nkansah-Boadu?
    Ms Nkansah-Boadu 2:35 p.m.
    Thank you, Mr Speaker. I made reference to paragraph 298 of the 2018 Budget Statement and not the 2019 Budget Statement.
    Alhaji Masawud 2:35 p.m.
    Thank you very much, Mr Speaker.
    Mr Speaker, I am going to quote the same paragraph and to say that in the 2018 Budget Statement, paragraph 289 --
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 2:35 p.m.
    Hon Member, the allegation you made was that she quoted the wrong paragraph and she said that the paragraph she quoted was from the 2018 Budget Statement. So move on.
    Alhaji Masawud 2:35 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I thank her for the correction, but to say that I will also quote the same paragraph that passport administration in the country is a very big problem. To think that everything is smooth is not the case.
    In the 2018 Budget Statement, I quote from the same paragraph 289, the Ministry indicated that they were going to eliminate the activities of middlemen and to reduce the number of days in acquiring passports.
    But as we speak today, we all know the situation of the “goro boys” at the
    passport centres. I would want to ask whether they have been able to eliminate those “goro boys” in the administration a passport or not.
    What is the turnaround time? Have they been able to reduce the number of days that it takes an individual before he acquire his passport?
    Mr Speaker, passport is a security document, but if you go to the passport office, it is an eyesore. To add to that, they said that they were going to ensure that passport centres are opened in all the regions, but as my Hon Colleague, Dr Apaak, earlier said, there are a number of regions that do not have even passport offices. People have to travel far away to passport centres before they acquire passports.
    Mr Speaker, in this modern Ghana, it would shock you to hear that people went to take their passports and they were told that there was shortage of passport booklets; just booklets for passport acquisition. How can we say that there is smooth administration of passport in the country when we cannot get common booklets for printing passports?
    Mr Speaker, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is one of the luckiest ministries that inherited a very good legacy from the previous administration. Why am I saying so? I know the current Ministry has a competent Minister with two competent deputies, but how come a loan facility of US$50 million that had been procured for them to renovate our Missions abroad —
    Mr Speaker, if you visit a number of our Missions abroad, it is an eyesore. Some of the Missions are in very deplorable situations, and they need urgent work for them to give us the facelift that we need. But as a country, our
    Alhaji Masawud 2:45 p.m.
    Ministry of Foreign Affairs, with the three competent ministers have not been able to utilise a US$50 million loan facility that has been secured for them up to date.
    What is the status of the renovation work that they are supposed to carry out at the Missions abroad? If you visit places such as Paris and other places, it is an eyesore.
    Mr Speaker, what we are saying is that, there is no focus on maintaining those facilities that were acquired by even our first President, Dr Kwame Nkrumah. Successive governments have not been able to maintain those facilities.
    If a government has been able to secure an amount of US$50 million for them and for two years they are sitting in their office and cannot use this money to, at least, lift the face of our Missions, then the Ministry --
    Mr Speaker, as we speak, we are told that Ghana has even started repaying the loan that we secured. We have started paying the interest yet we have not started using the actual amount. What are we doing to our nation? And we sit and say that everything is fine; Ghana is moving forward in the right direction.

    Mr Speaker, it is also unfortunate to see that even in the 2018 Budget, 2.9 million was allocated for capital expenditure, but in 2018 even though we have a lot of work to do at our Missions, it has been reduced to 2.7 million.

    Are we actually serious about maintaining those property that our founding father secured for us as a nation? No, Mr Speaker.

    With these few words, I would like to say that, yes, the Ministry is doing well, but they still have a lot to do to keep our face in the international world.

    Mr Speaker, thank you very much for the opportunity.
    Mr Michael Gyato (NPP -- Krachi East) 2:45 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, thank you very much for the opportunity to contribute to the Financial Policy Statement of the Government of Ghana for the Year Ending 31st December, 2019.
    Mr Speaker, I would start by first debunking the allegation being made by Hon Alhaji Masawud that they have contracted a loan and they are not seeing the infrastructure coming up.
    He had the opportunity to visit our Missions abroad to see how the money is being used, so he cannot come to the Floor of the House and say that. We would demand a report from him after visiting all these Missions and wasting Govern- ment's money. He would need to come and tell us exactly what he has seen.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 2:45 p.m.
    Hon Member, if he went on the authority of Mr Speaker he has not wasted Government money. Choose another word.
    Mr Gyato 2:45 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, thank you very much.
    I would like to emphasise that he has been outside the country to monitor the project, so he has the opportunity to come and brief us, as Hon Members of the Committee, on how the projects are going.
    Mr Speaker, the loan was actually contracted in 2016, but there was no due diligence, and so it was our Government that did all the due diligence to make sure that, at least, we packaged it well for the benefit of the people.
    So he should not say that we are not working. We are working very well to make sure that we correct this notion.
    Mr Speaker, Hon Dr Apaak also stated that we do not have passport application centres. In the Budget, it is stated that we are putting one in the Eastern Region and one in Tema also.
    We are also encouraging the online application where you need not travel from Tamale to Accra for your passport, and now the man hours in procuring the passport is reduced. So I believe that notion should be debunked, and then we make progress.
    Mr Speaker, the NPP Government is actually anchored on what the provision of the Constitution --
    Ms Helen Ntoso 2:45 p.m.
    On a point of order. Mr Speaker, Hon Apaak is not here, but I was here when he was speaking.
    What Hon Apaak said was that there are no centres in the Upper East and so Upper West Regions. He was very specific. So I would just like to correct my brother, Hon Gyato, that Hon Apaak was very specific. He mentioned the Upper East and Upper West Regions.
    Mr first Deputy Speaker 2:45 p.m.
    Hon Gyato, be corrected and proceed.
    Mr Gyato 2:45 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, thank you very much.

    Mr Speaker, the Volta Region has been there for long. All we want to say is this --
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 2:45 p.m.
    Hon Gyato, hold on, since you want controversy.
    Mr Abdul-Aziz Mohammed 2:45 p.m.
    On a point of order. Mr Speaker, the Hon Member has just challenged us to mention one passport office that was established under the tenure of President Mahama and the
    NDC.
    It was done in the Northern Region, Tamale. I would just like him to be aware before he can proceed.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 2:45 p.m.
    So one was done in Tamale.
    Mr Gyato 2:45 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, thank you very much.

    Mr Speaker, we are renovating the offices in the Upper East and Upper West Regions, and next year, hopefully, in our Budget it would be captured.

    Mr Speaker, the NPP Government would not come out with a foreign policy in a vacuum. In this global age, what we seek to do is to look at what our Constitution states.

    Mr Speaker, if you would permit me to read, under the Constitution, article 40 (a) to (c);

    “In its dealings with other nations, the Government shall --

    (a) promote and protect the interests of Ghana;

    (b) seek the establishment of a just and equitable international economic and social order;
    Mr Gyato 2:55 p.m.
    (c) promote respect for international
    law, treaty obligations and the settlement of international disputes by peaceful means;…”
    Mr Speaker, also, when you pick the NPP Manifesto, it is clearly stated that the NPP Government in achieving our foreign policy would also review existing policies to take into account the renewed world order with respect to development like Brexit, emerging China and others, like Brazil, Russia, India and South Africa.
    Mr Speaker, in our Co-ordinated Programme of Economic and Social Development Policy, 2017-2024, at page 109, it is expressly stated, and if you would permit me;
    “We are trying to realign, trying to adapt and adopt, all our foreign policy into the local setting such that our foreign policy will drive our agenda for growth...”
    Mr Speaker, in the just ended UN General Assembly meeting, the whole world was looking at Ghana, and Ghana was represented by the President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo- Addo. One remarkable thing is that, after his delivery, the whole world was looking at him.
    One, we might look at it from the bilingual aspect of his nature, but the most important thing is that he has changed the face of the country and he has projected the country to a further height.
    Mr Speaker, also, with our foreign policies, we promised the people of Ghana that we are going to make sure that all our treaties are well ratified, and as I speak to
    you now, most of the treaties that are before us in Parliament have been ratified. To mention a few, the AU Agenda for 2063 and the African Continental Free Trade.
    Mr Speaker, these are laudable ideas that are going to drive this country, and Ghana is not an exception. Also, going forward, our President has made it a deliberate policy to make sure that all the time, our boundaries and neighbourhoods are well protected and we have good brotherly collaborations with our neighbouring countries.
    A key one has to do with our Government's mediation with Togo, and also the Sogakope Water Project that is going to Togo.
    Mr Speaker, all these things are going on to make sure that, at least, Ghana within her territorial boundaries is working confidently with the people.
    Mr Speaker, taking you back to the Budget Statement, on page 94, I read;
    “Ghana and Cote d'Ivoire also signed an agreement on plotting all seven coordinates to determine the maritime boundary as per the ruling in October, 2017, by the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea
    (ITLOS)”.
    Mr Speaker, with all the legal tussle, Ghana still has good relations with La Cote d'Ivoire and other countries.

    Mr Speaker, as I speak to you, when President Akufo-Addo took over in 2017, I can count up to 12 foreign dignitaries and Presidents who came to Ghana in 2017 because of the good administrative policies of the NPP.

    Now, let us go to 2018. Mr Speaker, the year is not ended and I can count the number of Presidents and foreign dignitaries who have come to this country; we have close to about 24 and still counting.

    Most of them come with investors. We would get a vehicle assembling plant and other stuff in Ghana which have never happened; it is unprecedented.

    Mr Speaker, this Government must be applauded because our principles are anchored and we know that the Exxonmobil would also come on board. We know that it is our foreign policy that drives interest in to this country.

    Mr Speaker, let me also add that the world sees the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, as multilingual.
    rose
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 2:55 p.m.
    Hon Gyato, please hold on.
    Mr Quashigah 2:55 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, my Hon Colleague on the other Side, Hon Gyato, talked about some of the good initiatives that have been undertaken and he mentioned provision of water from Ghana to Togo but it does not sound very clear. I would want him to really explain what he meant by that.
    Is he talking about the African Development Bank project that has been on the drawing board for some time now or some other project that takes water from Ghana to Togo, especially when the people of Anyako in my constituency do not have water?
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 2:55 p.m.
    Hon Member, continue. You have one more minute.
    Mr Gyato 2:55 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, after this, he can come and see me and I will explain it to him.
    Mr Speaker, going forward, I would urge my Brothers from the other Side to also consider a multilingual presidential candidate for 2030 and beyond. This is because our President, as we speak, is multilingual and best suited for this present age where the Francophone countries yearn to see Ghana as a friend.
    Mr Speaker, it also promotes Ghana as a partner. So, we would want to urge them to look for somebody who can speak French and other languages such as the current President so that, considering 2030, we might look at them whether they are fit to --
    Mr Andrew Dari Chiwitey (NDC -- Sawla/Tuna/Kalba) 2:55 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I thank you for giving me the opportunity to contribute to the debate on the Financial Policy of the Government of Ghana for the year ending 31st December, 2019.
    Mr Speaker, I thought that the Hon Deputy Minister for Sanitation and Water Resources in his debate would have told Ghanaians what the NPP Government has done and what it projects to do in 2019. Unfortunately, it was like he sang praises.
    Mr Speaker, I would want to clear something. When my Hon Senior Colleague, Hon Della Sowah, contributed, she indicated that the Hon Minister for Energy, Hon Peter Amewu, on Monday, 26th November, 2018, in a press conference, admitted to Ghanaians that dumsor had come back. [Interruption] If you like check myjoyline.com.
    Mr Speaker, if you would permit me to read that portion.
    “The Minister however admitted that there may be dumsor but he
    rose
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 2:55 p.m.
    Hon Member, hold on.
    Hon Minister, you are alleged to have said that dumsor has returned.
    Mr Amewu 2:55 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I would want to correct a wrong impression in this august House. This is a very respected House within our current democratic dispensation and I do not think it is right for anybody to deceive us.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 2:55 p.m.
    Hon Members, order!
    Mr Amewu 2:55 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, the statement at my press conference is well-written and available for everybody seated here to have a look at. [Hear! Hear!]
    Mr Speaker, never did I mention that we would return to the John Mahama-led dumsor regime in this country or that dumsor is back under H. E. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
    Mr Speaker, during question time, I was asked a question because I brought in all the technical people that are responsible for energy supply, transmission, generation, distribution, and metering in this country. The question that was asked was, are we to expect intermittent power shortages called dumsor?
    Mr Speaker, the answer given was technical issues that trigger intermittent power supply as a result of transmission failures of course should be expected because these are unforeseen contingencies; those are the words we used. I never said that we would return to dumsor.
    Mr Speaker, our good Friends at the other Side pray fervently for this country to be taken back to the three-year dumsor that we experienced in this country. I can point to them that we are beyond that era and this country --
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 2:55 p.m.
    Thank you, Hon Minister.
    Mr Chiwitey 2:55 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, the joy I have is that this time around, they can run but they cannot hide because the media and technology would expose them. We should know that whatever we say or wherever we say it, people and the media watch us.
    Mr Speaker, I know that this time, they are in Government. We have given the whole Ghana to them to rule. It is now too heavy for them to carry and so they do not know where to hold on to now.
    We were all here in Ghana in 2016 -- [Interruption] Yes, I am a Ghanaian. I have lived in Ghana and in February
    2016 --
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 2:55 p.m.
    Hon Member, hold on.
    Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 2:55 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, specific attributions have been made that the Hon Minister for Energy is supposed to have made a statement. The Hon Minister has categorically denied it and then we have an Hon Member say that the media would expose him. Mr Speaker, that is untenable.
    If the media had quoted what the Hon Minister said, that is a different thing. If somebody sitting somewhere constructs his own English to say that the Hon Minister said this and an Hon Member brings it to Parliament, that certainly would be of nuisance value.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 2:55 p.m.
    Hon Member, unless you have the Hon Minister's voice saying what he is alleged to have said, we would go by what he said here in the House.
    I recall two days ago, the Hon Member for Tamale North said that headlines are the choice of editors and not the words of the persons. Those are the editor's words so please do not use the headlines. If you have what the Hon Minister said to contradict him, I would admit it. Otherwise, we would go by his words. Please be guided.
    Mr Chiwitey 3:05 p.m.
    Thank you, Mr Speaker. I am guided.
    I have a document in my hands; your own Committee's Report of March, 2017 that tells the steps the NDC Government, led by President John Mahama, took to solve the water situation in Ghana.
    On page 6 of that Report, it tells us that the Government led by John Dramani Mahama implemented some actions that led to the delivery of a number of boreholes to our people in Ghana.
    rose
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 3:05 p.m.
    Hon Member, hold on, I would check your time.
    Yes, Hon Majority Leader?
    Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 3:05 p.m.
    Mr Speaker,
    I clearly heard my Hon Colleague say that he has a document on his hands. How is he having the document on his hands?
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 3:05 p.m.
    It could be a lying on his hands.
    Mr Chiwitey 3:05 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, that is English, I have it in my hands. [Laughter.] That tells us how the NDC Government, led by John Dramani Mahama provided water to the people of Ghana.
    The document indicates that in the Volta Region alone, we gave them 148 boreholes. In the Brong Ahafo Region, we delivered 107 boreholes; then we go to the Upper East Region, we delivered 151 boreholes; Eastern Region, we delivered 98 boreholes.
    Two years down the line, the Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources has not been able to deliver a single borehole. --[Uproar]-- Yes, it is a fact; if there are boreholes that have been delivered, then they are not from the Government of Ghana. I am on that Committee and I know that there are borehole projects going on

    but those boreholes are delivered by Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and not by Government of Ghana. As a Government, we should not wait for donors to give us water.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 3:05 p.m.
    Hon Member, hold on; if you generate controversy— Yes, Hon Deputy Minister for Sanitation and Water Resources?
    Mr Gyato 3:05 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, in the first place, when I stood up, I was debating as an Hon Member of the Committee on Foreign Affairs.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 3:05 p.m.
    Hon Member, have you delivered boreholes? [inaudible]
    Mr Gyato 3:05 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, the Hon Member was attacking me on sanitation grounds which was wrong.
    In the second aspect, we have drilled a number of boreholes through Community Water and Sanitation Agency. If he so wants, he should just file a Question and we would debate it. So, he should not come here and behave as if we are not doing anything at all.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 3:05 p.m.
    Hon Member, he says they have drilled a number of boreholes through Community Water and Sanitation Agency. Please proceed.
    Mr Chiwitey 3:05 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I indicated that there are borehole projects going on that are being delivered by NGOs.
    rose
    Mr Chiwitey 3:05 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, in continuation, I would like to correct certain
    things as captured in the Budget Statement. On page —
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 3:05 p.m.
    Hon Member, please hold on. Yes, Hon O. B. Amoah?
    Mr O. B. Amoah 3:05 p.m.
    Thank you, Mr Speaker. I thought my Hon Colleague would take a cue from what the Hon Deputy Minister for Sanitation and Water Resources said. However, if he is insisting that no boreholes have been done by the Government and any borehole we see is delivered by the NGOs, it is incorrect.
    Even if one looks at this Budget Statement, some of these things have been listed. If he is debating and not referring to the Budget Statement — He should go to appendix 14, some of these things have been listed and some of us are living witnesses that boreholes have been constructed in our Constituencies by this Government.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 3:05 p.m.
    Hon O. B.
    Amoah, I gave you the Floor and you have just said appendix. Please refer to it for the record. This is because you are denying a specific position. So which page are you referring to?
    Mr O. B. Amoah 3:05 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I said when we go to page 254 of the Budget Statement, appendix 14; List of IPEP Projects by Region. You would have --- [Interruption] -- I am saying that if you look at the list, apart from water closets, there are water systems before the warehouses.
    And I am saying that we have Hon Members here who have boreholes in their constituencies drilled by Government, not NGOs. He should tell us which NGOs have done boreholes in our constituencies.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 3:05 p.m.
    Hon Member, the statement you made is incorrect. Please, change it and continue with your debate.
    Mr Chiwitey 3:05 p.m.
    I thank you, Mr Speaker. On page 69 of the Budget Statement, we have a caption; Northern Development Zone under Sawla-Tuna Kalba District. There is an indication that the Government of Ghana, led by President Nana Akufo- Addo would be giving Sawla a Nursing Training College, a ten-seater water closet with mechanised boreholes.
    Mr Speaker, yesterday, my senior Hon Colleague mentioned it here; we do not have a nursing training college in Sawla, how on earth would the Government be giving them a ten-seater water closet? We do not have a nursing college in Sawla, so I call on the House to monitor this particular project to ensure that the money that has been allocated to it is not misapplied or used somewhere else.
    Mr Speaker, I would also like to draw your attention to page 150 of this same Budget Statement. My Hon Senior Colleague talked about some water projects. Of course, they have indicated in paragraph 739 of the Budget Statement and with your kind permission I quote:
    “The Ministry, under the ‘Water for All' agenda will ensure the continuous expansion of urban water systems in the country. Systems to be expanded over the medium term include the Kpong Water Supply Expansion Project - Phase 2, Aqua Africa Water Project, Yendi Water Project, Damango Water Project, Wenchi Water Project, Tamale Water Supply Expansion Project, Sunyani Water Project, Sekondi-Takoradi Water Project and Essiama Water Project.”
    That means they are yet to do it. However, I would like to remind the House that in the NDC regime, led by President John Dramani Mahama, we built a lot of water projects that President Nana Akufo- Addo came and commissioned.
    I am also pleading with President Akufo- Addo that he should, at least, start some water projects so that if he is not able to complete them in 2021, President John Mahama would come and complete and commission them.
    Mr Speaker, I also want to touch a bit on education and health. On education, most of our school buildings collapsed during the rainy season. I remember I filed a Question and followed up again, and invited the Hon Minister to come to tell us how they were going to put up some of the structures.
    Mr Speaker, I could not get my Questions answered but in the Budget Statement, they have indicated a number of projects they would be doing under education. So I plead with the Government that they should walk the talk come 2019.
    Mr Speaker, I also would like to touch on the National Health Insurance. My Senior Hon Colleague stood a moment ago and talked about clearing all debts in the National Health Insurance.
    Well, I would like to remind this august House that there are still service providers who are crying that they have not received payment especially -- [Interruption]-- I have a service provider who always calls me and thinks that he needs somebody to speak for him.
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    Mr First Deputy Speaker 3:05 p.m.
    Hon
    Member, hold on.
    Yes, Hon Member for Akim Oda?
    Mr Quaittoo 3:05 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, the Hon Member is saying that last year, most of our schools collapsed. For example, he filed a Question in his constituency. I am an Hon Member of the Committee on Education and we do not have any such report.
    We are rather building more schools that have some few cracks here and there. How many schools have collapsed for him to use the words, “most schools”? Could he come clearly?
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 3:05 p.m.
    Hon Member, your choice of words is important; you may say some schools collapsed.
    Mr Chiwitey 3:05 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, thank you. Some schools collapsed and indicated that I filed a Question on three of those schools in my constituency but I never got --
    Mr Speaker, on the National Health Insurance issue, this time around, accessing health insurance has become a problem for the interior people, especially those in the villages. Gone were the days when what we needed to do was just to call a school head teacher; a school that was under the “School Feeding Programme” or under the “Free School Uniform Programme”.
    What a public relation officer of a scheme needed to do was just to give the head teacher a call or just to walk there with a note and tell them to schedule a date for the National Health Insurance Scheme to move with their gadgets to go and cover them under the scheme.
    However, this time around, Mr Speaker, it is hell. It is difficult for most of them to access health insurance because they
    would have to rent a vehicle and transport all the students to the health insurance office before they are covered.
    Worst of all, the Public Relations Officer would have to write a letter to the Social Welfare Department, which is a very long process, for it to come to Accra before the approval is given for the Scheme to cover such poor students. How can we continue to treat the poor this way?
    We are not all equal or live in the city, so we should be mindful of the people who need health insurance most. We should make it relaxed for such people to have access to the National Health Insurance Scheme, because it is because of them that we have it.
    Mr Speaker, let me conclude by indicating that Ghana is rich with a lot of water resources. We could mention the Pra River, the Pru River, the Sene River, the Daka River, the Afram Plains River and the Black and White Volta Rivers. So, Ghana has no problem with water and it is sad that we still have people who struggle for miles to fetch water.
    Mr Speaker, I was privileged to be with you in Brasilia to attend a World Water Forum. We saw how the whole world was on how to send water to every individual by 2030. However, the way Ghana is going at a slow pace, if we are not careful, we are likely to lose out on the target for 2030, that is water and sanitation for all.
    Thank you, Mr Speaker.
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 3:05 p.m.
    The last contribution would be by Hon Afenyo- Markin.
    Mr Alexander Kwamena Afenyo- Markin (NPP -- Effutu) 3:05 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, thank you for the opportunity to contribute on the Government's Economic
    Policy for 2019. This is an important Motion and I am privileged to have been given the opportunity to add my voice.
    Mr Speaker, since 1992, we have had the NDC serving eight years, then giving power to NPP for eight years, then NDC again for eight years and then this Government which is in its second year. So, in sum, the NDC Government has had 16 years and the NPP Government is in its 10th year.
    In this, clearly, the opportunity given to the NPP Government has demonstrated that -
    Mr First Deputy Speaker 3:05 p.m.
    Hon Members, the Second Deputy Speaker to take the Chair.
    MR SECOND DEPUTY SPEAKER
    Mr Afenyo-Markin 3:19 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, the NPP Government has demonstrated that it is a pro-poor Government that has the people at heart. No Government can prove that it has laid the foundation and successfully implemented social inter- vention policies. It is only the NPP Government that can be credited for all the social intervention policies that are in place as of today.
    Mr Speaker, if we come to the water sector, I can say on authority that in 2017, the Government was able to extend pipes to various communities to the total of 284 kilometres. From 2018 till date, Government through the Ghana Water Company has been able to extend 284km --
    rose
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 3:19 a.m.
    Hon Member, your Colleague is on his feet, let us listen to him.
    Mr Ahmed Ibrahim 3:19 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, ordinarily, I would not interject my Hon Colleague on the other Side, but he made a very categorical statement that since the inception of this dispensation, no Government apart from the NPP Government could boast of initiating a social intervention policy to completion. He might not know and I want to give him an orientation on that.
    Mr Speaker, when your good self was here, you put up your maximum effort and introduced the Free Compulsory Universal Basic Education (FCUBE) in 1995. Which major social intervention is better than FCUBE? All other social interventions on education have taken a cue from FCUBE.
    Secondly, he said that all social interventions - I am orienting him. Which social intervention in Ghana's education sector is bigger that the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund)?
    Mr Speaker, let me give him orientation, they are spreading this falsehood everywhere.
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 3:19 a.m.
    Hon Member, you know that this is no point of order. You are debating the issue.
    Hon Member, you may continue.
    Mr Afenyo-Markin 3:19 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, I made a point that no Government has initiated and successfully implemented a pro-poor social intervention policy apart from that done by the NPP Government.
    I went further to take my submission to the water sector and submitted that in 2018 till date, countrywide, we have taken water to various communities in the
    Mr Mohammed Abdul-Aziz 3:19 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, my Hon Senior Colleague spoke about pro-poor social interventions. I would want to know from him what he means by pro-poor social interventions?
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 3:19 a.m.
    Hon Member, it is not Question time, please. You are out of order. [Laughter]
    Mr Afenyo-Markin 3:19 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, this is filibustering and reckless heckling as you put it in your days as an Hon Majority Leader. The debate must continue, I must be heard and he must hear me in silence.
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 3:19 a.m.
    Hon Member for Effutu, please do not draw the Speaker into the debate. [Laughter]
    Mr Afenyo-Markin 3:19 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, I was only referring to the past, but they must listen to me in silence and I ought to be heard.
    Mr Speaker, in terms of recruitment, the Government has addressed the unemployment situation, though not all. However, I can speak to the fact that at Ghana Water Company limited, in 2018, 140 science students who assist in water quality management were recruited.
    For the first time in 17 years, 70 graduate engineers were recruited as management trainees at our various head works. Civil and Electrical Engineers were recruited this year and 210 degree holders were recruited this year at Ghana Water Company Limited. Those who have
    studied social sciences have been recruited as Commercial Officers, Marketing Managers and Human Resource Officers and these are verifiable facts.
    Mr Speaker, for the various regions at Ghana Water Company Limited there is a decentralised policy to allow them to recruit junior officers such as Cashiers, Metre Readers and Drivers -
    rose
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 3:19 a.m.
    Hon Member, please hold on.
    Mr Bedzrah 3:19 a.m.
    Mr Speaker, I am a member of the Committee on Works and Housing. My Hon Colleague was referring to employment opportunities given by the Ghana Water Company Limited.
    We are referring to the Budget Statement and that is not in the Budget Statement. If really Ghana Water Company Limited has employed people, as he mentioned, as an Hon Member of the Committee, soon to be an Hon Ranking Member, I have not cited any document.
    So, I do not know where he is getting the information from, even though he is the Board Chairman. If he has any documents, he should bring it to the House for us to see whether Ghana Water Company Limited has employed anybody in the past year.
    Mr Afenyo-Markin 3:25 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, when I see you in this mood, I know that you have dismissed an application as being frivolous, of no effect and vexatious. It is only meant to distract me.
    Mr Speaker, 513 people were recruited as junior officers; drivers and meter readers. This is because this year, Ghana
    Water Company introduced the metre reading through soft-scribe where there are portable reading scanners so that customers would not be billed.
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 3:25 p.m.
    Hon Members, let us listen to him. He is addressing the issue of unemployment and he is talking about the number of employment opportunities that have been created in the water sector. You know he is not just an Hon Member of Parliament, but also the Hon Chairman of the Board of Ghana Water Company.
    Hon Member, it is an opportunity for him to put it across and you have the opportunity to respond but not on a Point of Order because he is completely in Order. So, let us just listen to him.
    Mr Afenyo-Markin 3:25 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, across the country, 513 junior officers have gained opportunity in Ghana Water Company and finally, 70 graduates of National Vocational and Technical Institute (NVTI) were recruited to support the engineers as technicians and all these were done this year.
    Mr Speaker, in terms of water expansion, with the Navrongo Head Works and the Tolon Water System, the contractors are on site and disbursements have been made. As an Hon Chairman of the Board, I have been there. The facility was approved last year and as I speak, the Tamale Water Expansion Project has been approved by the Board, sent to Cabinet, the funding is ready and I am sure what is left is the constitutional duty to ensure approval. These are facts.
    Mr Speaker, in the area of education, everybody here is well aware that without it this country cannot develop. Somebody would have to take the bold initiative and
    that has been taken. We are well aware that going forward in 2019, there is an opportunity for many Ghanaians who otherwise could not afford secondary education to benefit from the Free SHS Policy.
    Mr Speaker, there are challenges -- those who benefited last year and those who would benefit again -- I could speak of my constituency that as a result of the Free SHS and the higher number of intake, new classroom blocks have been approved by the Ministry of Education.
    At least, last year, the new Assembly Hall was approved, and as I speak, the contractor has done the roofing. Government was able to supply about 600 desks for Winneba Secondary School and I was a witness to it.

    Mr Speaker, with the greatest respect would my Hon Colleague not overly frustrate me? He is not speaking into the microphone, but he is frustrating me.
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 3:25 p.m.
    Hon Member, please, address the Chair because I am in charge.
    Mr Afenyo-Markin 3:25 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I am applying for protection. [Laughter.]
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 3:25 p.m.
    Hon Member, you have not made any application.
    Mr Afenyo-Markin 3:25 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, my
    application is that, Hon Members must listen to me in silence, particularly, the Minority which is led by Hon Ahmed Ibrahim who is the Acting Hon Leader.
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 3:25 p.m.
    Hon Member, you are completely protected, so you continue.
    Mr Afenyo-Markin 3:25 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, the Gyatakrom-Ateitu road was awarded this year and the contractor is on site working. The Sankor-Nsuekyir road was also awarded this year and the contractor there is working.
    This year, the Gyehadze market which collapsed some years ago, was awarded and it has been completed. The Gyendsadze -Akramano road which was delayed has been asphalted this year. These are realities.
    Mr Speaker, we are aware of the proactive measures that have been taken. In Accra, a 10km asphalt road in the Abossey Okai area has been completed. Anybody who doubts it could go there and see the asphalt. The 12km Laterbiokoshie road has also been asphalted and the 5km drains at Gbortsui has also been constructed.
    Mr Speaker, I went to the Constituency of the Hon Minister for Foreign Affairs and a lot of drains have been constructed. I must also admit that the Adenta-Madina situation has not received the expected attention, but it does not mean that the Government has ignored the people of Adenta. A lot is being done. If one goes to the Tema Roundabout, it is evidential.
    Mr Speaker, I can only say that in relative terms, this Government has demonstrated sincerity and commitment in two years, these are major achievements.

    Mr Speaker, please, this filibustering must stop. I am frustrated and I would want to make an application. The Hon Colleague at the back bench -- I know him as a real gentleman. He is disturbing me.
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 3:25 p.m.
    Hon Member, please, I am taking note of the noise level and I would intervene at the appropriate time, but that is not filibustering.
    Mr Afenyo-Markin 3:25 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, that is my limited understanding.
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 3:25 p.m.
    Yes, Hon Available Leader?
    Mr Ahmed Ibrahim 3:25 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I am happy you said you have taken note of all the interjections, but the Hon Member is speaking as an Hon Member and not as an Hon Ranking Member or an Hon Chairman of a Committee. Therefore, he should speak for only 10 minutes, but he has spoken for 12 minutes now.
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 3:25 p.m.
    Yes, I have realised that he has spoken for about 12 minutes.
    Mr Ahmed Ibrahim 3:25 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I was just drawing your attention to it.
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 3:25 p.m.
    I am just taking into consideration the interventions.
    Mr Afenyo-Markin 3:25 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, so clearly, the facilities that this Government
    has procured are such that they save cost and I have given an example -- where in the CDB, Government of Ghana lost US$300 million in pre-disbursement penalties alone which came from the tax payer to the would-be financier, but in this new restructuring arrangements under the Syno-hydro there is no such penalty clauses.
    Mr Speaker, I could also cite the intervention which was made by this Government in 2017 in refinancing maturing debts. For the first time, this Government was able to borrow under 19 per cent, whereas, eight years, the minimum that the NDC Government was able to raise in terms of bonds was 23 per cent.
    Such savings are significant and they demonstrate competence and willingness to deliver. These are not rhetorics.
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 3:25 p.m.
    Hon Member, you are left with 15 seconds.
    Mr Afenyo-Markin 3:35 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I would want to conclude by saying that this Government needs to be given the opportunity to do proper comparative analysis. If the NDC Government had eight years, this Government deserves eight years before a debate on comparison can be initiated. [Hear! Hear!]
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 3:35 p.m.
    Hon Members, I am informed that we have one Question. But so far as the debate on the Budget is concerned, this is a nod for today. We would move to the item numbered 3 on page 2 of the Order Paper — Question.
    Hon Members, I am told Question starred 462 was stood down. I do not know
    Mr Anim 3:35 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, the Hon Deputy Minister, who is also a Colleague of ours, is here to answer the Question in the stead of the substantive Minister, and I beg to ask for your leave.
    Mr Ahmed Ibrahim 3:35 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, ordinarily, I would have no problem, save to add that, it is not enough. If the Hon Minister for Communication is not able to come to the House, I think she would give reasons, and assign a reason why a Deputy Minister should come and answer the Question on her behalf.
    If they give us the reason, then based on that, we would be in the position to assist. But just to say that the Hon Deputy Minister is in the House to answer the Question, the Question was not posed to the Deputy Minister but the Hon Minister. They should give us reasons, and in that case, we may agree. Other than that, if we tolerate this, the House would be treated with serious disrespect which is not the best.
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 3:35 p.m.
    The Hon Deputy Minority Whip is right. We need reasons why the Hon Minister is not before us.
    Mr Anim 3:35 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, the Hon Minister was with us here yesterday, and as I speak to you, she has an assignment with the President, and that is why she has assigned the Hon Deputy Minister to stand in for her.
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 3:35 p.m.
    You are saying the Hon Minister has an assignment with the President?
    Mr Anim 3:35 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, the Hon Minister is with the President on an assignment. She is with the President on
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 3:35 p.m.
    And you think that is a good reason for the Hon Minister to absent herself?
    Hon Members, this is a very bad practice where Members of Parliament or Ministers of State leave their responsibilities and go following Presidents. Members of Parliament have reduced themselves. That is not what they are elected to do. If you have your duty on the Floor of Parliament, that should take priority over following the President around in the country. That is not a good reason.
    Mr Anim 3:35 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I know, with all humility, that you have been a Minister before.
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 3:35 p.m.
    Yes, and I never allowed any MP to follow me around. I never followed any President around. I never — check my record.
    Mr Anim 3:35 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I know that there are certain duties that the President, at any material moment —
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 3:35 p.m.
    As at today, when the people of Ghana look at the Floor of the House and see that Hon Members are not present, do they blame the President or Parliament? You are the same people they blame for absenting yourself. They will never be told by any President that they took the Members away on assignments or whatever duties. We must stop this practice.
    I am going to allow the Hon Deputy Minister to answer the Question, but the reason is not good enough.
    I am making this on purpose, that the message should go down to all Members of Parliament. We have a duty to perform and so does the President. Your absence will not cause anything.
    ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS 3:35 p.m.
    MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS 3:35 p.m.
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 3:45 p.m.
    Yes, Hon Member, any follow-up questions?
    Mr Sulemana 3:45 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, let me admit that it is true that some work has started. This Question was filed somewhere in January this year. So between January to date, some work has started and I must commend him for that.
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 3:45 p.m.
    Hon Member, what communities did you mention?
    Mr Sulemana 3:45 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I mentioned Dakpupe, Carpenter, Wasipe and Nuayiri as captured in the Answer in the first paragraph on page 27 of the Order paper.
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 3:45 p.m.
    Yes, Hon Deputy Minister, the communities were mentioned in your Answer. Please, you may answer.
    Mr Odotei 3:45 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, as my Hon Colleague himself admitted, we have worked tirelessly to ensure that his community is connected so we bridge the digital divide. So I can assure this House as you have stated.
    Mr Speaker, it is not just his community. On page 749 of the Budget Statement and Economic Policy of Government, this year, we would roll out 600 more telephony sites, and we expect that by 2020, the entire country would have telephone connectivity.
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 3:45 p.m.
    Yes, Hon Member, any further questions?
    Mr Sulemana 3:45 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I would
    want to thank the Hon Deputy Minister very much.
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 3:45 p.m.
    Is that a follow-up question? [Laughter.]
    Mr Sulemana 3:45 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I am just thanking him.
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 3:45 p.m.
    Yes, the Hon Deputy Minority Whip?
    Mr Ahmed Ibrahim 3:45 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, this is a House of record. Is the Hon Deputy Minister saying that in 2019, they would roll out 600 cell sites?
    Is he referring to GIFEC and MTN or GIFEC alone? We would want a specific answer.
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 3:45 p.m.
    Hon Deputy Minority Whip, he referred to paragraph 749 of the Budget Statement and Economic Policy of Government and it is stated there.
    Mr Ahmed Ibrahim 3:45 p.m.
    So, Mr Speaker, he is not referring to MTN but GIFEC?
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 3:45 p.m.
    With the 600 cell sites, he said GIFEC in the Answer. If you read paragraph 749 of the Budget Statement and Economic Policy of Government at page 151 --
    Mr Ahmed Ibrahim 3:45 p.m.
    I thank you, Mr Speaker. That is the reason I wanted him to be specific. This is because in the Answer, he mentioned MTN as embarking upon the same project. Are the cell sites of MTN part of the 600 he referred to or they are in addition to that of MTN?
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 3:45 p.m.
    Hon Deputy Minister, he wants clarification.
    Mr Odotei 3:45 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, as part of the statutory obligations of GIFEC in ensuring
    universal access, the strategy of this Government is to ensure that we facilitate with third party involvement to ensure that we connect the whole country.
    The 600 telephony sites would be implemented with the facilitation of GIFEC, MTN, and a third party company to ensure that the private sector gets on board to expand the telephone connectivity. It is a collaboration with the Government through GIFEC, MTN, and the third party private sector company.
    Mr Afenyo-Markin 3:45 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, per the Answer to the Question on page 26 of the Order Paper, I would like to know from the Hon Deputy Minister whether the mobile network connectivity to the various communities as listed had been initiated already before this Government took office or it was initiated?
    Some Hon Members 3:45 p.m.
    [Uproar]
    Mr Afenyo-Markins 3:45 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, my question is in accord with the rules under supplementary question. He is a backbencher; he should learn.
    Mr Speaker, in accord with the Answer given, I would want to know from the Hon Deputy Minister whether these mobile network connectivity to the various communities were initiated upon assumption of office by them.
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 3:45 p.m.
    Hon Members, the question is not admitted. It does not arise at all. [Hear! Hear!]
    Hon Deputy Minister, we thank you for attending upon the House to answer the Question for and on behalf of the Minister for Communications.

    Hon Leadership, is there any outstanding matter?
    Mr Anim 3:45 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, I believe we have gone past 2:00 p.m. As we indicated that we would have an extended Sitting, we have exhausted the Business of the day and therefore, we are in your hands.
    By your leave, we would ask for an adjournment so that Sitting can resume tomorrow at 10:00 a.m.
    Mr Ahmed Ibrahim 3:45 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, my Hon Colleague, the Deputy Majority Whip is right, except that the House was supposed to have a Joint Caucus meeting today because the flow of information from Leadership to the entire membership is not encouraging.
    There were other information that we needed to meet and share. Tomorrow being the last day of the debate of the Budget Statement, we expect that even though we cannot have the Joint Caucus meeting today, Hon Members must encourage one another for us to come here in our numbers because the two leaders, the Hon Majority Leader and Minority Leader would be concluding the debate tomorrow, and that is another opportunity for most of us to come and learn.
    So Mr Speaker, I would encourage my Hon Colleagues to come early tomorrow. That notwithstanding, at the Speaker's briefing tomorrow, my good Hon Brother and I would meet our seniors to address the serious issues arising as early as possible.
    The meeting would hopefully come off but not today. So, Hon Members should still repose trust in us because we would do whatever is possible to make sure that we have that Joint Caucus meeting. It is a very serious one.
    With that, Mr Speaker, I end my submission, and since he said the House is in your hands, we expect you to adjourn proceedings till tomorrow 10:00 a.m. in the forenoon.
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 3:55 p.m.
    In view of the issue you just raised about the lack of flow of information from Leadership to Hon Members, I would admit the Hon Member for Effutu because he has been itching to say a word. He may have some information that he would want to share with us.
    Mr Afenyo-Markin 3:55 p.m.
    Mr Speaker, when you see my hands behind me, then I have come very humble and on bended knees.
    Mr Speaker, the Hon Deputy Minority Whip has urged all of us to come and learn because our Leaders will be debating. He has raised matters of blessed assurance and we want those matters addressed rather expeditiously because that is a matter of interest to all your members. We are happy that you now want to improve on communication at all levels.
    But Mr Speaker, as he has urged us to come early -- you remember in your days as Hon Majority Leader, you urged us to learn and be quiet, especially at the backbench.
    Mr Speaker, today, the conduct of the Minority backbench has not been commendable. [Interruption.] They should take a cue from the Hon First Deputy Minority Whip. Today, they have been harassing, filibustering and out of order. The rules require that when an Hon Member is on the feet, we must remain quiet. If there is any issue, one is to seek the leave of Mr Speaker; but they made noise. Tomorrow, they should be quiet to listen to wisdom. [Hear! Hear!]
    Mr Speaker, I thank you.
    Mr Second Deputy Speaker 3:55 p.m.
    You are now abusing my generosity, so I have taken note of that. [Laughter.]

    Hon Members, but it is important that you open up the usual channels of communication, so that the House can move together as a body. It is important that we keep holding the Joint Caucus meetings. If not, we would have some of these rumours that undermine the unity and togetherness of the House.
    ADJOURNMENT 3:55 p.m.